Some of the most famous composers appeared in the classical music period. Ludwig van Beethoven was one of the composers, along with other greats of the time such as Haydn and Mozart, who helped create a new type of music. This new music had rich, full sounds created by the newly constructed symphony orchestra. Ludwig van Beethoven was born in the city of Bonn, Germany, on December 16, 1770. Bonn is located in western Germany, on the Rhine River. Beethoven showed an affinity for music at an early age. His father, Johann, taught Ludwig to play the piano in addition to the violin. Johann did this in the hope that his son would become a prodigy and then achieve fame like Wolfgang A. Mozart. Unfortunately, however, Beethoven's mother died when he was seventeen. In addition to his mother's death, Beethoven's father developed an alcohol problem. To escape these problems Beethoven found work as a guardian of the von Breuning family's two children. This relationship proved beneficial to Beethoven. The matriarch of the family was highly regarded in the city of Bonn, so she introduced Beethoven to some important people. Beethoven got his first job in music when he was only eleven years old. At this age he works as an assistant to the organist in a local court. Later, at the age of thirteen, he played the keyboard in opera rehearsals. His first real performance came when he was eighteen; Beethoven played the viola in the local theater orchestra. He played with this orchestra until the age of twenty-two. At the age of twenty-two Beethoven moved to Vienna; that was where he would remain for the rest of his life. In Vienna Beethoven played for Mozart, and it is believed that Mozart even gave him... middle of paper... a bigger and better arrangement than the previous arrangement. Beethoven was a pioneer of his time. During the classical period most of the composers were at the hands of monarchs. Composers had to create whatever the monarchs wanted, they really had a choice in what they wrote. Beethoven on the other hand was not dependent on patrons. Beethoven created and sold what he made, not what some aristocrat told him to make. These traits of Beethoven allow him to be classified in both the classical and romantic music periods. Works Cited Berg, Darrell M. "Beethoven, Ludwig Van." The World Book Encyclopedia 1996. vol. 2. Chicago, IL: World Book, 1996. 213-14. Print."Ludwig Van Beethoven." BBC News. BBC and Web. 04 December 2013.Willoughby, David. "Chapter 11." The world of music. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 249-53. Press.