Ludwig van Beethoven (December 1770 - 26 March 1827 ) was a musician and composer from Germany. Beethoven is still regarded as one of the most renowned composers in Western music history, and his compositions are among the most often played in the classical music repertoire. In classical music, his pieces cover the transition from the classical to the romantic periods. His career has often been split into three periods: early, middle, and late. The "early" phase, when he honed his technique, is generally thought to have lasted until 1802. From 1802 to 1812, his "middle" era exhibited a distinct evolution from Joseph Haydn's and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "classical" styles and is often referred to as "heroic." During this period, he became deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly deaf He continued to innovate in musical form and expression throughout his "late" era, from 1812 until he died in 1827.

Beethoven's musical ability was evident at a young age, and his father, Johann van Beethoven trained him severely and intensely at first. Beethoven was subsequently tutored by Christian Gottlob Neefe, a composer, and conductor, under whose guidance he released his first composition, a set of piano variations, in 1783. He sought solace from his troubled home life with Helene von Breuning's family, whose children he adored, befriended, and taught piano. At 21, he went to Vienna, where he would later call home, to study composition under Haydn. Beethoven's reputation as a great pianist grew. Karl Alois quickly courted him Prince Lichnowsky for pieces, resulting in his three Opus 1 piano trios (his first works to get an opus number) in 1795.

His first significant orchestral piece was released in 1800, while his first set of string quartets was published in 1801. His hearing started to worsen at this time, yet he continued to conduct, debuting his Third and Fifth Symphonies in 1804 and 1808. In 1806 he published his Violin Concerto. In 1810, Beethoven's last piano concerto (No. 5, Op. 73, dubbed the "Emperor"), dedicated to his frequent patron Archduke Rudolf of Austria, was performed, although without Beethoven soloist. By 1814, he was almost deaf, and he stopped playing and appearing in public. In two letters, his "Heiligenstadt Testament" (1802) to his brothers and his unsent love letter to an unnamed "Immortal Beloved," he detailed his health difficulties and unfulfilled personal life (1812).

Beethoven wrote several of his most renowned works, including his later symphonies, mature chamber music, and piano sonatas, in the years after 1810, as he became less socially engaged. Fidelio, his sole opera, was initially presented in 1805 and was altered to its final version in 1814. He wrote his Missa Solemnis between 1819 and 1823 and his Ninth Symphony, one of the earliest choral symphonies, between 1822 and 1824. His late string quartets of 1825–26 are his last accomplishments, written in his dying years. He died in 1827 after a few months of bedridden sickness. Beethoven's compositions are still famous in the classical music world.