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Ludwig van Beethoven 250 Years

Miniature Sheet
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About Ludwig van Beethoven 250 Years

Heiðrik á Heygum has dressed the great composer up in the Faroese national costume, placed him in quintessential Faroese surroundings – enveloped by equally iconic examples of Faroese flora and fauna.

Occasionally, art is created which takes on its own existence and wings its flight beyond the artist's universe and the confines of his earthly life. This is especially true of the world of music and, most eminently for the works of the great classical composers.

Classical works of music are written for orchestral ensembles of varying sizes, intended for concert performances for live audiences. This gives rise to constant reinterpretations of the musical works subject to the conductor’s particular perception, his temperament and the quality of the orchestra.

Add to this the perceptiveness of the audience and the listeners when it comes to appreciating a work of high art. We are all children of our own cultural backgrounds. Whether there are societal differences or culturally conditioned regional differences - there will always be perceptual differences in individual interpretation of the work in question.

And this seems to be the starting point for the versatile artist Heiðrik á Heygum's in his graphic representation of Ludwig van Beethoven on his 250th birthday. Heiðrik has dressed the great composer up in the Faroese national costume, placed him in quintessential Faroese surroundings – enveloped by equally iconic examples of Faroese flora and fauna. The German-born Beethoven, who spent most of his life in Vienna, Austria - and possibly did not have the faintest idea of the Faroe Islands - is as natural a part of Faroese culture as the landscape, the wind and the ram on the mountain. His music has been the faithful companion of the Faroese through so many years, creating myriad associations and influencing us in various ways, along with our own particular cultural features – which is why it seems natural for us to celebrate the old virtuoso as one of our own.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, the capital of the Electorate of Cologne in the German-Roman Empire. He showed exceptional musical talent from an early age and was taught intensely by his father Johann van Beethoven and court organist and composer Christian Gottlob Neefe, who also helped him with his very first maladroit compositions.

At the age of 22, Beethoven moved to Vienna to study composition with Joseph Haydn. He quickly gained reputation in the capital of classical music as a virtuoso pianist and became known in patrician circles for his improvisations and variations on the works of other composers, while improving his skills in the art of composition. In 1795, Beethoven held his first public concert in Vienna, publishing his first work shortly thereafter.

Beethoven was a great admirer of the late composer W. A. Mozart and studied him closely. His first compositions were influenced by Haydn's and Mozart's music but he quickly matured musically and developed his own distinct style. He left an extensive body of compositions, the best known of which are his 9 symphonies, 32 piano sonatas, 5 piano concerts and 16 string quartets. In addition, he composed chamber music, choral works and songs.

In 1796, when Beethoven was 26 years old, his hearing began to deteriorate due to a bad case of tinnitus. The condition worsened in the following years and he eventually gave up performing and giving concerts. This, however, did not prevent him from composing - and during the last 10 years of his life, when his deafness was almost total, he created some of his most beloved works.

After a long illness, Beethoven died in 1827, at the age of 56. He is regarded as one of classical music's greatest composers, on par with his revered example Mozart. His influence on contemporary cultural life was enormous and he stands as a transitional figure between classical and romantic music. Influenced by the freedom of the Enlightenment ideals, Beethoven added a chorus piece in the fourth movement of his 9th symphony, based on Schiller's "An die Freude", a beautiful tribute to human kind - a melody that every child today recognizes as the „Anthem of Europe“.

Yes, Beethoven is genuinely Faroese, just as he belongs to all other nations in the world, and richly deserving of our humble tribute on his 250th anniversary.

Anker Eli Petersen