Ludwig van Beethoven (Baptized 17 Dec 1770 - Eternalized 26 Mar 1827)

Above is reported to be the only portrait the Immortal Maestro ever posed for. Completed between Feb and Apr 1820 by Joseph Karl Stiele.


Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in D minor (“Ode to Joy”, Opus 125) is the anthem of the EU. Since 1940, the “Ode to Joy” has been a staple in Japan at Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

The personal words and thoughts of the Grand Maestro may be analyzed in a collection of his translated correspondence: "Beethoven’s Letters." This is where I learned of his tinnitus.




The letters became the synthesis for "Immortal Beloved" (1994) where Gary Oldman portrays the tortured genius.




In 1969, Miguel Rios released his tribute to the Grandmaster of Music, "Song of Joy." This single became enormously popular in 1970, reaching Number One on music charts in Australia, Canada, West Germany, Switzerland, and the US.





Linked below is my favorite: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony in A major (Opus 92). Maestro Bernard Haitink conducts the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (2009).

As Shakespeare once wrote: “The man that hath no music in himself...is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils....”

(The Merchant of Venice, Act V, Scene I)

Happy Birthday Maestro.