Ludwig van Beethoven

There is no actual record of Beethoven's birth. He is traditionally assumed to have been born on December 16, 1770 because his baptism was recorded as taking place on the following day, but the real natal date and hour are unknown. As an adult, Beethoven considered himself to be two years younger than his given age and obstinately evaded the question of his birth date. December 16 is still internationally celebrated as Beethoven's birthday by music lovers.

Beethoven was the child of a Flamian musician family and became a member of the electoral orchestra of Bonn in 1783.

In 1787 he studied at Mozart's in Vienna and in 1792 he moved all to Vienna becoming a student of Joseph Haydn. The Vienna High Society loved him as a piano player as well as as composer.

His funeral on March 29, 1827, was a major public event. An estimated 20,000 people stood in reverence as his funeral bier passed through the streets of Vienna. Soldiers were needed to control grief-stricken crowds. After nine priests blessed his body, he was buried in a grave marked by a simple pyramid with one word: "Beethoven".

Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony" was sampled in the 1970s disco era by Walter Murphy, who renamed the instrumental piece "A Fifth of Beethoven", which became an international hit.

Depicted in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) and the comic books based on the movie and its sequel by Marvel Comics. Portrayed by Gary Oldman in Immortal Beloved (1994), Ed Harris in Copying Beethoven (2006) and Erich von Stroheim in Napoléon (1955).