Symphony No. 9 in D minor is regarded by many critics as one of Beethoven's greatest works and one of the supreme achievements in the history of western music.

At the age of 21 Beethoven moved to Vienna, where he began studying composition with Joseph Haydn, "Father of the Symphony".

Beethoven's first professional position was as court organist to Elector Max Franz in 1784. Five years later, he was playing viola in the elector's court orchestra.

Beethoven dated his hearing loss to a fit he suffered in 1798, at the age of 28, induced by a rage at the interruption of his work. His hearing never fully recovered and was impeded, from that point forward, by a severe form of tinnitus.

The Creatures of Prometheus premiered on 28 March 1801 at the Burgtheater in Vienna and was given 28 performances.

The Heiligenstadt Testament was a letter written by Beethoven to his brothers Carl and Johann, recording his thoughts of suicide due to his growing deafness and his eventual resolution to continue living for and through his art.

An autopsy revealed that the immediate cause of death was post-hepatitic cirrhosis of the liver.

He wrote nine symphonies, 32 piano sonatas, one opera, five piano concertos, and many chamber works including some ground-breaking string quartets.

Beethoven originally dedicated his third symphony, called the Heroic Symphony to Napoleon Bonaparte, who he believed to embody the democratic and anti-monarchical ideals of the French Revolution. In autumn of 1804, however, Beethoven withdrew his dedication lest it cost him the composer's fee paid him by a noble patron.

Worried that the noise from the bombardment would destroy what remained of his hearing, Beethoven hid in the basement of his brother's house, covering his ears with pillows.