Celebrity Biography - (Junior High School Edition) (Revised Edition)

Author: (French) Roman Rolland
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-10-01
Features: One should do one's best for good deeds, love freedom more than anything else, and never betray the truth, even for the throne of an emperor. —Beethoven
He was short and plump, with a thick neck and an athletic frame. His broad, brick-red face only grew sallow and ill in his later years, especially in winter when he was far from the fields and rarely went out. His forehead was wide and prominent, and his thick, dark hair stood up in disarray, as if it had never been combed, resembling Medusa's snake hair. His eyes burned with a strange force, leaving anyone who met him stunned, though most could not discern the subtle differences. These eyes flashed with a wild light, set against his bronze-colored, somewhat tragic face, appearing black but actually gray. When emotions surged or he grew angry, these small, deep-set eyes would suddenly widen, the pupils rolling in their sockets, reflecting his thoughts truthfully. His melancholic gaze often turned upward. His broad nose was short and square, truly lion-like! His mouth was rather delicate, but the lower lip tended to protrude more than the upper lip. His jaw was strong, as if capable of cracking walnuts, and his right chin had a deep dimple, making his entire face appear strange and asymmetrical. According to Muzio Clementi, "His smile was beautiful, and his demeanor was kind and lovely when he talked. But when he smiled, he was unpleasant, rough, ugly, and brief, as if he was not accustomed to joy." His facial expressions were always reserved, as if he suffered from an "incurable melancholy." In 1825, Ries once said that seeing the extreme pain in his gentle eyes, he could hardly bear to hold back his tears. A year later, Braun von Braunthal encountered him in a tavern. He sat in a corner, smoking a long pipe with his eyes closed, a posture that became increasingly common in his later years. A friend spoke to him. He gave a sorrowful smile and took out a notebook from his pocket, like a deaf person often did, shouting in a loud voice for the other person to write down what they wanted to say. His facial expressions often changed; sometimes, he would suddenly grasp a flash of inspiration, even on the street, and his expression would startle passersby; at other times, if he was unexpectedly seen sitting at the piano, "his facial muscles would swell, blood vessels would throb, his fierce eyes would become even more terrifying, and his lips would tremble, as if summoning ghosts and gods but unable to dismiss them." A Shakespearean character in full! Julius Benedict said: "King Lear."
Ludwig van Beethoven was born on December 16, 1770, in a humble attic in a dilapidated house near Cologne, Bonn. He was originally from Flanders. His father was a mediocre, alcoholic tenor singer. His mother was a maid, the daughter of a chef, who first married a servant in an official family and, after her husband's death, followed Beethoven's father. Beethoven's childhood was filled with hardships, lacking family warmth, unlike Mozart, who was nurtured by his family. From the beginning, life was a tragic battle for him. His father wanted to develop his musical talent to showcase him as a prodigy. When his son was just four years old, his father would lock him in front of the harpsichord for hours or force him to practice the violin in a room, exhausting him to the point of hating music almost entirely and requiring violence to compel him to continue. Beethoven had to worry about making a living since his youth and had to take on the burden of supporting his family at an early age. At the age of eleven, he joined the theater orchestra, and at thirteen, he became an organist. In 1787, he lost the mother he loved. "She was so kind to me, so worth loving. She was my closest friend! Ah! When I could call out the warm name 'mother' and she could hear it, who could be happier than me?" She died of tuberculosis, and Beethoven believed he had contracted the disease as well, often feeling unwell. In addition to his illness, he suffered from a more tormenting melancholy. By the age of seventeen, he had become the head of the household, taking responsibility for his two younger brothers' education. His alcoholic father could no longer support the family, and he had to shamefully ask the theater to allow his father to retire. They were worried that the father would squander the money, so...