Beethoven's first music lessons.

[Megan]

Can someone remind me how old Beethoven was when he took his first music lessons?
I think he was about 10 when he first started serious study with Christian Gottlob Neefe. But did B play violin up till then? I think his father taught him violin.

[Peter]

10 would be a late start - he probably started informally around 4 or 5, especially being in a musical family.

[Lindegard]

We don't know for sure, but it is supposed that LvB first studied with his father as a young boy, possibly 4 or 5. His first external teacher is generally supposed to be the organist Gilles van den Eeden (when LvB was around 8), and concurrently with Brother Willibald Koch from the Franciscan Monastery who taught the boy organ and liturgy. Koch often allowed the boy to serve as his assistant organist. There was another organist, Zenser, whom he studied with around this time at the Minorite Church. LvB became one amazing church organist! That is a role we sometimes forget he had! :-)

The father, Johann, had a friend, Tobias Pfeiffer, a bit of a character, who played the oboe and clavier, and sang in the local theater. He moved in with the family for a while and gave young LvB music lessons. Then there was Frau Beethoven's cousin, Rovantini, who lived with them for a while and taught LvB violin and viola (LvB became quite an accomplished viola player and played that instrument in the court orchestra for a number of years). All these teachers were by the time LvB was 10 years old. Then the boy studied with Neefe, who changed his life (for the better!). :-) I'm recalling this from research I did writing a novel about young Beethoven in the past year. Hope it helps, you might be able to find more details by googling some of the teachers' names! Lindegard

[Megan]

We don't know for sure, but it is supposed that LvB first studied with his father as a young boy, possibly 4 or 5. His first external teacher is generally supposed to be the organist Gilles van den Eeden (when LvB was around 8), and concurrently with Brother Willibald Koch from the Franciscan Monastery who taught the boy organ and liturgy. Koch often allowed the boy to serve as his assistant organist. There was another organist, Zenser, whom he studied with around this time at the Minorite Church. LvB became one amazing church organist! That is a role we sometimes forget he had! :-)

The father, Johann, had a friend, Tobias Pfeiffer, a bit of a character, who played the oboe and clavier, and sang in the local theater. He moved in with the family for a while and gave young LvB music lessons. Then there was Frau Beethoven's cousin, Rovantini, who lived with them for a while and taught LvB violin and viola (LvB became quite an accomplished viola player and played that instrument in the court orchestra for a number of years). All these teachers were by the time LvB was 10 years old. Then the boy studied with Neefe, who changed his life (for the better!). :-) I'm recalling this from research I did writing a novel about young Beethoven in the past year. Hope it helps, you might be able to find more details by googling some of the teachers' names! Lindegard

Thank you very much for furnishing me with all that information, that was extremely helpful. I always did wonder who taught Beethoven violin and viola.
Did any of Ludwig's brothers receive music tuition? It seems that the family favoured Ludwig as the most promising of them all, they certainly worked him hard.

[Lindegard]

I don't know the particulars, Megan, but I recall reading that they did, and that Carl even taught music for a while, though he wound up in the Viennese civil service (and his brother's unpaid secretary for a bit). Nikolaus Johann became an apothecary. And of course, LvB never did take to singing, the profession of both his father and grandfather. Interesting how relatives can vary so extremely from each other within the same "family trade!" :-)

[thesunlover]

Thanks Lindegard for the info!

Neefe was Beethoven's teacher for about 10 years, from his 10 to 20. Why didn't Beethoven dedicate even one work to Neefe? I know more than 50% of his works dedicated to no one.

[Peter]

Thanks Lindegard for the info!

Neefe was Beethoven's teacher for about 10 years, from his 10 to 20. Why didn't Beethoven dedicate even one work to Neefe? I know more than 50% of his works dedicated to no one.

I think because dedicating a work was primarily about patronage in the 18th century - perhaps Beethoven himself later set the trend for more personal dedications, although most of his dedications are to aristocratic friends. Perhaps most touching is his dedication of the little trio WoO39 to the 10 year old child of Antonie Brentano, Maximiliane (to whom he also later dedicated Op.109).

[thesunlover]

Trying to find excuses for him?

I still think Beethoven should have dedicated something to his master.

[Peter]

Trying to find excuses for him?

I still think Beethoven should have dedicated something to his master.

Don't forget Neefe died in 1798 whilst Beethoven was still a young man trying to make a name for himself in Vienna and all of his early works were dedicated with the aim of patronage. Brahms dedicated his 2nd piano concerto to his piano teacher Eduard Marxsen in 1881 when he was at the height of his fame and creative powers, maybe Beethoven would have done so had Neefe lived longer!