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Newly-arrived in the bustling musical capital, Beethoven made his mark almost immediately as a pianist, and pursued his studies in composition, first with [[Joseph Haydn]], and later with contemporaries Johann Schenk, Johann-Georg Albrechtsberger and Antonio Salieri. To all appearances, the first years in Vienna were marked by creative fits and starts: Beethoven's Opus 1 (published in 1795), a set of three piano trios, was already mostly finished when he arrived in Vienna; and while many of his first great works were begun in these first five years, Beethoven had nothing new to send back to his benefactor in Bonn. Maximilian Franz, then the elector of Bonn, was still financing the young composer's education, corresponding frequently and impatiently with both Beethoven and Haydn, and threatening to cut off funding if he did not begin to show results. Finally, in 1797, Beethoven's Opus 2, a bold set of three piano sonatas written in an unprecedentedly original style, was published and dedicated to Haydn. Five more opuses were published that year, and a flood of finished compositions followed in 1798. By the time his first symphony was finished and performed in 1800, Beethoven had thoroughly made his mark as a composer of powerful orginiality.

Newly-arrived in the bustling musical capital, Beethoven made his mark almost immediately as a pianist, and pursued his studies in composition, first with [[Joseph Haydn]], and later with contemporaries Johann Schenk, Johann-Georg Albrechtsberger and Antonio Salieri. To all appearances, the first years in Vienna were marked by creative fits and starts: Beethoven's Opus 1 (published in 1795), a set of three piano trios, was already mostly finished when he arrived in Vienna; and while many of his first great works were begun in these first five years, Beethoven had nothing new to send back to his benefactor in Bonn. Maximilian Franz, then the elector of Bonn, was still financing the young composer's education, corresponding frequently and impatiently with both Beethoven and Haydn, and threatening to cut off funding if he did not begin to show results. Finally, in 1797, Beethoven's Opus 2, a bold set of three piano sonatas written in an unprecedentedly original style, was published and dedicated to Haydn. Five more opuses were published that year, and a flood of finished compositions followed in 1798. By the time his first symphony was finished and performed in 1800, Beethoven had thoroughly made his mark as a composer of powerful orginiality.

==Beethoven's Deafness==

==Beethoven's Deafness and the "Heilgenstadt Testament"==

 

Although the music of Beethoven is remarkable in its own right, it is perhaps most amazing in light of the fact that much of it was written when he was near or totally deaf. The most stirring example of this is the Ninth Symphony, written in 1824 when he had lost all hearing. At the end of the performance, one of the performers had to turn the composer to see the ovations which he could not hear.  

Although the music of Beethoven is remarkable in its own right, it is perhaps most amazing in light of the fact that much of it was written when he was near or totally deaf. The most stirring example of this is the Ninth Symphony, written in 1824 when he had lost all hearing. At the end of the performance, one of the performers had to turn the composer to see the ovations which he could not hear.