Ludwig van Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music. He was born in 1770 although the exact date was not recorded. At he age of 10, he withdrew from school to study music full time and by the age of 12 he published his first musical compositions.
His career has conventionally been divided into early, middle, and late periods. His early period, during which he forged his craft, is typically considered to have lasted until 1802. From 1802 to around 1812, his middle period showed an individual development from the styles of Joseph Hayden and Wolfgang Amadeus and is sometimes characterized as heroic. During this time, he began to suffer increasingly from deafness. In his late period, from 1812 to 1827, he extended his innovations in musical form and expression. He died at the age of 56 in 1827.
From the woman who commissioned this chair: “Many years ago I had a dream that morphed Beethoven sitting in a chair, (like Lincoln at Washington Memorial.) I was a kid in the dream and I was crying and I climbed on Beethoven’s lap and he comforted me. I had forgotten the dream until I saw your completed chair! Now I can truly sit in his lap but this time without the tears. Thank you Todd, you have been a pleasure.”
