Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (17 December 1770 - 26 March 1827) was a German composer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest creators in Western music. Much of his work was produced after he became deaf and was suffering from severe tinnitus.

A virtuoso pianist, he produced five piano concertos and many sonatas, as well as nine symphonies and an opera, Fidelio. Much of his later music, especially the string quartets which were his last compositions, proved hard to understand or perform; these were rarely heard until the twentieth century, but are now regarded, along with many of his other compositions, as masterpieces.