Summary of Chapter One: Young Genius

Cooper then details how Beethoven's musical gift was apparent at a young age. He describes how his father taught the boy piano before his hands could even reach the keys, forcing Beethoven to stand on the bench. He received lessons in piano and violin around the time he was five years old, and he wrote that this was the time in which he started to fall in love with music. He played his first concerto in 1778 along with his father, where gained high praise. Next, Cooper describes how Beethoven stayed in school until he was ten or eleven, and how he did not get along well with other students. In spite of these difficulties, he portrays Beethoven as someone who learned virtue during this time, largely drawing on accounts from some his writings. Cooper believes that Beethoven learned his virtuous ways from his mother, who was described as serious and stoic and taught Beethoven about the value of suffering (Cooper 18). 

By 1779, Beethoven started seeking new teachers, as he has surpassed the level of instruction that his father could provide him. He continued progressing, and took over briefly as court organist during 1781, at only 11-years-old. During the same year, he began composing some of his first original songs. The first composition was set in the key of C-minor, and it showed a remarkable level of complexity for someone his age. It utilized a funeral march, which causes Cooper to question whether or not Beethoven had an early obsession with death. He states that Beethoven mostly learned composition through osmosis, playing off of the work of other composers. At twelve-years-old, he wrote a three-movement sonata, which showed Beethoven's seriousness and dedication. He went on his first foreign trip soon afterward, playing in several distinguished musical spheres and earning praise. However, he did not enjoy the trip very much, and he maintained this attitude against traveling for the rest of his life (Cooper 23). 

This chapter does a great job of illustrating the conditions that allowed Beethoven to become the famous composer that people know. Though he did not come from a family of composers, he was deeply involved in music from early on his life. The skill he displayed at playing piano as a child earned him widespread esteem, and his early compositions were remarkable for someone his age. Thus, this chapter shows how Beethoven's gift was a mixture of natural talent and experience resulting in a benefit for the whole of humanity. 

Works Cited

Cooper, Barry. Beethoven. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.