10 National Airs with variations, Op. 107

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer, regarded as one of the most important composers of classical period.
Inspired by works of Schiller, Goethe, Kant and ideals of the French Revolution, he was passionate about expressing values of freedom, humanism and dignity of the individual, laying ground for Romanticism.
Born in Bonn, in a musical family of Flemish origin, Beethoven early acquired piano skills. His musical mentor, court organist   C.G.Neefe was a person of high ideals and broad cultural interests, making young Beethoven as his assistant and court organist at the age of 12. He gradually acquired pupils of influential aristocrats that eventually, with a personal endorsement of J.Haydn, helped him to move to Vienna to study piano with W.A.Mozart, and composition with J.Haydn. Soon he acquired reputation as piano virtuoso and received notable commissions to compose, gradually leading to his first symphony in 1800.

The first decade of the 19th century was not only very prolific period of writing symphonies, concertos, quartets, and overall acclaim, but marked the beginning of his heroic struggle against encroaching deafness. Last eight years of his life he deafness became total, using conversation books to be able to communicate with others. Beethoven used sketchbooks to continue to compose, often complimenting notes with comments. His reputation and published works allowed him to maintain the freedom, being able to support himself without need to have any official position and obligations. Thus he continued to work until his last years, not only managing to finish his last large-scale work, the Ninth Symphony in 1824, but compose three string quartets as well, on commission of knyaz Golitsyn.