Book Excerpt
“How do you suppose he was as a boy? According to our account, he seemed quiet and reserved. He hardly ever talked, and he showed little enthusiasm for the games that boys and girls often engage in together.
He made his concert debut while attending the Ludwig School, playing the part of a novice. At the time, he was just eight years old. He continued to write a lot of pieces two years later. An example of one of them was “Variations on Dressler’s March.” This article’s title page reads as follows:
************************************Variations on Dressler’s March, written by a young musician at the age of eleven in 1780, by Louis van Beethoven ************************************
The little kid later studied with Christian Gottlob Neefe, a teacher who showed real interest in him. Similar to what Beethoven’s father remarked, Neefe did not reprimand the young child severely for keeping himself occupied with music for long periods of time.
Neefe frequently left little Neif in the care of instructor Ludwig Court when he had to leave town; Court later filled Neefe’s position as the court organist. He took instruction in harmony as well as the organ. The youngster advanced so swiftly that his instructor observed:
“He’ll become a second Mozart if he keeps moving forward the way he has so far.”
Beethoven
The story of a little boy who was forced to practice
By – Thomas Tapper
- PUBLISHED: 1917
- PAGES: 29