# Happy Birthday, Ludwig!



## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

Yay! It's Beethoven's birthday! Let's all celebrate by listening to late String Quartets.


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## Dodecaplex (Oct 14, 2011)




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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

You think some of them get sick of having their birthdays mentioned every year? I don't like celebrating mine.


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## pollux (Nov 11, 2011)

Let us celebrate this with Schroeder, the only person in the world who is able to play the _Hammerklavier _ sonata on a toy piano:


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

1770 was also the year Captain James Cook laid claim to Australia for the British. Being the year of Beethoven's birth, I always kind of link the two. Although settlement/colonisation of this continent only started in 1788, with set up of penal colony (eg. Britain's overseas prison). Sorry for the history lesson.

Anyway, Beethoven is one of my favourite composers, for many reasons. Esp. for wiping away the last vestiages of stultifying convention of previous times. Of course Haydn & MOzart were already doing this. But I think Beethoven kind of hit the final nail in the coffin for music that just went by certain rule books and templates, etc. Of course, I'm generalising here, I like a lot of composers from before Beethoven's time. But this guy stands apart for me big time, he really got me into classical music, and his music still fascinates & engages me & much more, today. 

I like it how he's like his own man, his own category. Neither or both "classical" or "romantic" era, he made his own era, they really broke the mould when they created this guy, the "gods" or "God" that is...


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

:lol: Lucy is me in that cartoon.

Well, the day might come when I will truly like something by Beethoven. It's just not yet, for all the hours I've heard of music by him...


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## Chris (Jun 1, 2010)

I conveyed all these birthday greetings to Beethoven. He said 'Shaddup'.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Chris said:


> I conveyed all these birthday greetings to Beethoven. He said 'Shaddup'.


Well if he feels that way about his admirers then I'm not gonna say anything nice about him at all! 

:tiphat:


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

Celebrating with a very loudly played Symphony no. 8!


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

Chris said:


> I conveyed all these birthday greetings to Beethoven. He said 'Shaddup'.


Are you sure he didn't say "Speak up, Idiot!"


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## pollux (Nov 11, 2011)

Chris said:


> I conveyed all these birthday greetings to Beethoven. He said 'Shaddup'.


Did you tell him that Captain Cook was also invited to the party?


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