Ludwig van Beethoven

1770–1827 · German composer & pianist

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) was a German composer and pianist whose work bridges the Classical and Romantic eras. By 1812, when he wrote to Emilie, he was already losing his hearing yet at the height of his powers. He was a frequent, vivid letter-writer, and this note of encouragement to a child is one of his most quoted.

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“Do not only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets, for it and knowledge can raise men to the divine”

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