“Comparing Beethoven to Michelangelo, I was greatly influenced by the fact that most people spend much more time listening to music than looking at a painting or sculpture. For this reason, I think that musical composers are generally more influential than painters or sculptors whose eminence in their field is equivalent” (Hart 235). When you think of classical music, you probably think of the greatest and most influential composers of their time. Ludwig Van Beethoven lived a short life of 56 years after dying of dropsy (generalized swelling caused by the accumulation of excess water in the body). Being a deaf composer, it was really difficult for Beethoven to listen to his works and enjoy them thoroughly. Despite his disability, Beethoven managed to become one of the most important and influential composers of all time. Beethoven was born on December 16, 1770 in Bonn, Germany. Beethoven was baptized into the Catholic religion on December 17, 1770. When he was twelve years old he left for Vienna and studied with Haydn, the leading Viennese composer of the time. He stayed in Vienna for a long time until he returned home because his mother was ill with tuberculosis and died. His works could be published without any difficulty. He wrote the 2nd, 3rd and 4th symphonies all before 1806. As his life progressed into his twenties, the first signs of Beethoven's deafness began to appear and he began to contemplate suicide. As his hearing worsened, he began to isolate himself and became something of a misanthrope. He was socially withdrawn and never married. Despite his disability, he wrote the 2nd, 3rd and 4th symphonies all before 1806. Because his works became so important, he had some sort of alliance with the king and his th...... middle of paper... .. .beautiful pieces played. Ludwig's impact on the world is quite large when you think about how people, even today, listen to and play his music in an orchestra or concert band. I feel that if Beethoven had never followed his father's teachings and learned to play the piano and violin and read music, then there would not have been the musical and emotional impact that accompanied his journey. Beethoven is not only one of the most influential people who ever lived, he is also a great role model. His constant act of perseverance up to the point of his death illustrates how if you truly enjoy doing something, don't let anything, not even a disability, barricade you from achieving your goal. Although he had some unreleased works, the ones that were released were beautiful pieces that people still listen to 300 years later.