Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn in a musical family. His father was the tenor in the court chapel. From early childhood Beethoven was familiar with the music and played several instruments. In his youth he became a famous virtuoso pianist. Soon the writings of Beethoven have been widely published and were a great success. In 1796, Beethoven began to lose ability to hear. Over time his deafness had become complete. However, the disease did not break the great composer down. He continued to create great music until his death in 1827