One day Ferdinand Ries got a money making opportunity from his teacher and mentor, Beethoven. A wealthy couple, Count Johann Georg Browne and his wife, were looking for a piano player who could entertain them and their guests in Baden. They were enthusiasts and previously generous patrons of Beethoven. No wonder, Ries had to play Beethoven music all the time…. …
One day Beethoven’s pupil (and friend) Ferdinand Ries showed up at Beethoven’s residence during his summer break in Baden. As he entered the room he found him sitting on the sofa with an attractive young lady. Ries thought to leave and give them privacy, but Beethoven asked him to stay and play something. He played a number of pieces from …
Symphony No. 5 in C minor of Ludwig van Beethoven, Op. 67, was composed over many years, between 1804 and 1808. He had the habit of working on more project simultaneously and often put them on halt for longer periods. The first performance of the Symphony was in Vienna’s Theater an der Wien, 1808. The instrumentation of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony …
Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2 (composed in 1802) is often called The Tempest or Der Sturm in German. The name, and the legend, comes from Anton Schindler, who for a period was the secretary of Beethoven. According to his recollection, when asked how to interpret this piano sonata, Beethoven replied, “Read [Shakespeare’s] The …
With enough certainty we know that on his deathbed Beethoven had with him some books from Plutarch, Homer, Ovid and Epictetus. In this article we will discover who was Epictetus and how he – and stoic philosophy in general – influenced his approach to emotions. Who was Epictetus? Epictetus was a Greek philosopher born around 50 AD in Phrygia (today …
In order to understand what a leap day is, first we have to define what a leap year is! A leap year (also known as an intercalary year) is a year when one additional day is added to the calendar. This additional day is called leap day. Why do we need these leap days? Astronomical events do not happen according …