Copyright 1939 and 1951 by
The Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York

Editor’s Note

The late Pitts Sanborn wrote this booklet under the titleBeethoven and his Nine Symphonies and stated in a shortpreface that it made “no claim to originality and no secret ofits indebtedness to the masterly treatises on the same subject.”I have left Mr. Sanborn’s pages on the symphonies virtuallyintact and have only expanded the work a little byincorporating here and there matter about other major worksof Beethoven’s, especially some of the concertos, overtures,piano and vocal works, besides certain of the greater specimensof his chamber music. Even if this procedure probablylends the booklet a patchy character, I have followed it inorder to supply a rather fuller picture of the composer’s creativeachievements. No more than my predecessor do I makethe slightest claim to originality of matter or treatment, ordeny my indebtedness to Thayer and Paul Bekker.

Herbert F. Peyser

Printed in the United States of America

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was born on December 16, 1770,at Bonn, then one of the most important cities on the lowerRhine. Though Bonn was German and Beethoven’s motherand his father’s mother were both Germans, he was of Flemishdescent through his father’s father, a native of the countrythat eventually became Belgium, whence the “van” in thename. Louis van Beethoven, a tenor singer, went to Bonn inhis youth and promptly became a court musician to the residentarchbishop-elector. His son Johann, Beethoven’s father,was also a singer in the Elector’s employ, but he was a worthlessfellow, who was fortunate, however, in having as wife awoman of character. Realizing that his son Ludwig had beenborn with uncommon musical talent, he had the child beginto study violin and piano very early with the idea of puttinghim forward as a prodigy, as Mozart’s father had done. But2the young Ludwig was less precocious than Mozart and rebelledstrenuously against the enforced training. However,he did appear at a concert on March 26, 1778.

So strong was the boy’s musical gift that it triumphed overevery obstacle, including his own childish reluctance, and theElector thought it worth while to send him to Vienna, thenthe musical capital of Europe. He had now been composingfor several years, and Haydn accepted him as a pupil in counterpoint,an arrangement that did not turn out altogether toBeethoven’s satisfaction. He studied with other teachers inVienna and in March 1795, made his first public appearancein that city, playing his own piano concerto in B flat major.This date marks the beginning of a kind of recognition thatcould only spur the young composer on to the activity that ina nature so vigorous and energetic meant enthusiastic creat

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