It is my wish that you may have at better and freer life than I have had. Recommend virtue to your children; it alone, not money, can make them happy. I speak from experience; this was what upheld me in time of misery.

Although tradition has it that Johann van Beethoven was a harsh instructor and that the child Beethoven "made to stand at the keyboard was often in tears" the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians claimed that no solid documentation supported this and asserted that "speculation and myth-making have both been productive. Memorials
The Beethoven Monument Bonn was unveiled in August 1845 in honour of his 75th anniversary. Works from this period are characterised by their intellectual depth their formal innovations and their intense highly personal expression.

hoːfən] ([Image] listen); baptized 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Born in Bonn then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of the Holy Roman Empire Beethoven displayed his musical talents at an early age and was taught by his father Johann van Beethoven and Christian Gottlob Neefe. He also composed other chamber music choral works (including the celebrated Missa Solemnis) and songs.