Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (17 December 1770 - 26 March 1827) was a German composer. 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 late music, especially the string quartets which were his last compositions, was considered hard to understand or perform and were rarely heard until the twentieth century; they are now regarded, along with many of his other compositions, as masterpieces.