Ludwig van, Piano Man Trivia Quiz

Answer: Haydn

Haydn may have undertaken to tutor Beethoven as early as 1790. Having returned from a very successful and well-publicized trip to England, Haydn suggested that Beethoven capitalize on this fame by describing himself as "Haydn's Pupil" in his published works. Haydn tutored Beethoven in composition and regarded him highly; and although the pair's relationship had its ups and downs, it was ultimately one of mutual admiration and respect.

Answer: Vienna

In 1792 Beethoven traveled to Vienna from Bonn, his hometown. The trip was subsidized by his patron, the Elector of Bonn. Sadly, soon after arriving in Vienna, Beethoven learned that his alcoholic father had died back in Bonn. This unfortunate turn of events nevertheless had a benefit: it freed Beethoven to remain in Vienna in order to take advantage of the opportunities the city provided for him to advance his career. By 1795 Beethoven had come under the tutelage of Antonio Salieri, who is famed today for his connection to Mozart; and it is believed that Salieri was instrumental in organizing the concert at which Beethoven debuted his "Second Piano Concerto." The concerto was largely composed from 1787-1789, with the third movement being written in 1795.

Answer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart (1756-1791) had become famous for his compositions by the time Beethoven was a teenager; and Beethoven became an ardent Mozart fan. There are some accounts that they may have met in 1787 when Beethoven made a trip to Vienna, but these accounts are not supported by any contemporary documentation.

It is certain, however, that Beethoven had studied Mozart, wrote cadenzas and variations on several of Mozart's works, and showed more indirect influence from Mozart in several of his other works, including "Piano Concerto Number One." This concerto was written in 1796-1797, nearly ten years AFTER his second piano concerto; but it was published first - in 1801, ahead "Piano Concerto Number Two" - thus meriting the "Number One" designation.

Answer: deafness

Beethoven's troubles with his hearing began in the mid-1790's, starting with a ringing in his ears which impaired his ability to hear music. The exact cause of the progressing deafness is unknown, but Beethoven historians have speculated that it might have been caused by typhus or lupus.

By the time he wrote "Piano Concerto Number Three," Beethoven had tried various measures to deal with his condition, but they provided no relief. His struggles in the matter of his health ushered in the middle, or "Heroic," period of his composing.

The music of this period, including the third concerto, was often marked by dark, stormy, turbulent passages.

Answer: Moonlight

The "Moonlight Sonata" highlights several aspects of Beethoven's career as a composer. Written in 1801, it was dedicated to Countess Giulietta ("Julie") Guicciardi, his pupil, with whom he was infatuated. But the couple's romance could not lead to marriage since Beethoven, accomplished as he was, was a commoner and the Countess was from the nobility.

The sonata itself was regarded as an innovation, as its form did not adhere to the fast-slow-fast tempo ordering of movements which was in vogue at the time.

Instead, it begins with a very slow-paced melody, which is the most well-known part of the sonata today, and builds toward a faster-paced, more forceful conclusion. The sonata acquired its "Moonlight" nickname several years after Beethoven's death, when a music critic described the feel of the music in its first movement as akin to that of watching moonlight reflecting off Lake Lucerne.

The name "Moonlight Sonata" has stayed with the piece ever since.

Answer: Napoleon Bonaparte

Count Waldstein, the youngest son of a prominent Viennese family, was sent to Bonn in 1788 because of his family's affiliation with the Elector of Bonn, who was himself an enthusiastic supporter of the arts. It was through this connection that the Count made the acquaintance of the young Beethoven and became his patron.

Despite his faithful support of Beethoven, the Count was consumed, if not obsessed with the defeat of Napoleon. He squandered his fortune and that of his wife attempting to raise an army for that purpose, all to no avail.

He ended up destitute. One of the pieces that opened the "Heroic" decade of Beethoven's work (1803-1812), the "Waldstein" exceeded all of Beethoven's previous piano sonatas in its scope, grandeur of manner, and technical challenge.

Answer: Felix Mendelssohn

In addition to "Piano Concerto Number Four," Beethoven's "Choral Fantasy" and his Fifth AND Sixth Symphonies were premiered at the 1808 concert. It is little wonder, then, that the concerto was eclipsed in the public's regard, even though the critics were quite generous in its praise.

A determined saviour of the neglected works of other composers, Mendelssohn rescued the concerto when he performed it in 1836 in Leipzig before a transfixed audience and repeated the performance in England in 1847. Since then the "Piano Concerto Number Four" has become one of the most-performed and most-recorded piano works.

Answer: Immortal Beloved

Commentators considered "Appassionata" (Italian for "passionate") to be Beethoven's most tempestuous sonata yet, and Beethoven agreed with them, although the work was given its nickname by a music publisher eleven years after Beethoven's death. Written at a time when Beethoven's deafness was becoming more pronounced, the work reflects not the passion of romantic love, but the struggle of one man to overcome the forces of nature.

As to the "Immortal Beloved:" Beethoven had a long association with the von Brunswicks, a noble Hungarian family, and he gave piano lessons to Josephine and her sister. Beethoven and Josephine became enamored of each other, although marriage was once again impossible due to class difference. Josephine's life was as tumultuous as Beethoven's music: an arranged marriage to an older man; children; widowhood; affairs with other men; an illegitimate child leading to a disastrous second marriage; financial ruin; new lovers and more children; quarrels; actual physical fights; lawsuits; estrangements; illness; and eventual ruin. Through it all Beethoven kept up his relationship with Josephine, writing many confirmed love letters to her; and they met whenever they could. The precise identity of "Immortal Beloved" has never been confirmed and is still debated, but after the work of many scholars, Josephine continually emerges as a top candidate.

Answer: Emperor

"The Emperor" is just so great! For its time it outstripped the available instruments (some were actually broken during performances), and many believe it was not until the larger, more durable pianos of later years that the work came into its own. Although who coined it is unclear, it's known that Beethoven did not give the concerto its nickname. And he certainly would not have named the piece in any way after Napoleon, whose armies were lobbing shells at Vienna as Beethoven composed the concerto, driving him into the basement to cover his sensitive ears with pillows.

The admiration that had inspired Beethoven to consider naming his Third Symphony "Heroic" in honor of Napoleon had long since vanished. So where did the name orginate? Perhaps from an enterprising musician, publisher, or promoter? An admiring French officer who attended the premiere? Or perhaps because the premiere took place during celebrations of Napoleon's birthday? We'll never know; but we have the concerto, and that's what's important.

Answer: Fur Elise

"Fur Elise" might be the classical piano piece played by more piano students than any other. Little is known about the circumstances of its composition: much of what we think we know comes by way of its discoverer, who claimed that the piece he found was dated in 1810. Concerning the identity of "Elise:" as with many of Beethoven's dedicatees, she is mysterious. One theory is that she was Therese Malfatti, a student/crush of Beethoven's whose name on Beethoven's manuscript was misread by its discoverer; another identifies her as opera singer Elisabeth Rockel, who was called "Elise" at times; and still a third claims that she was a child prodigy named Elisabet ("Elise") Barensfeld, to whom the work was dedicated as favor to the aforementioned Therese Malfatti.