The Second Phase, 1803-1816

Beethoven took more and more to composing as his deafness became severe. There was no way he could play any of the compositions himself. His compositions in this phase were more adventurous in breaking from traditional norms. Beethoven composed most of the repertory works in the second phase of his artistic production. He wrote a multitude of daring symphonies, revolutionary piano sonatas and string quartets, and an opera, "Fidelio". The remarkably prolific period ended suddenly, with several personal catastrophes—among them the complete loss of his hearing.

Just after writing the Testament, he composed his Second Symphony in November 1802. And in 1803 he composed the Third Symphony Eroica, one of his masterpieces. This marked the beginning of the second phase of his work, very original and not at all rooted in the traditional style.

Beethoven considered Eroica to be the best of his symphonies. Being a Republican at heart he dedicated it originally to Napoleon. He thought Napoleon epitomized the Republican spirit. But later when Napoleon proclaimed himself emperor, he was utterly disappointed. The symphony was published in 1805 and its title was Sinfonia eroica per festeggiare il sovvenira d' un gran uomo—"Heroic symphony to celebrate the memory of a great man". It was performed in the Theatre-an-der-Wien on April 7, 1805. With the "Eroica", Beethoven began to disregard the conventions of the day. He reconfigured the forms of his pieces, inserting a slow movement where one would expect a quick one and a quicker movement where convention called for something slower. He chose to shift keys at moments when the practice of the day would advise against it. He broke up themes, rather than presenting them in their entirety, and amply deployed dramatic narration. The four movements in the "Eroica" vary in mood from a mournful dirge to the joyful and celebratory scherzo, and in doing so represent a triumphant journey through death to rebirth and exultation. Moody and various, the composer's third symphony was a forerunner of the Romantic movement in symphonic music.

On November 20, 1805, a week after Napoleon's army had occupied Vienna, the premiere of Beethoven's opera Leonore was held. Only a few French officers attended it. Beethoven shortened and revised it but the second attempt at its revival in 1806 also did not succeed. He withdrew it after two performances due to differences with the management. A third attempt at its revival eight years later, now named Fidelio, was a success.

Following this Beethoven produced several works, most of which have become classics. He produced Piano Concerto No.4, Apassionata and Razumovsky Quartets in quick succession. The premiere of two great symphonies, the Fifth and the Sixth, was held on December 22, 1808. Then he composed the most beautiful piano concerto, the Emperor.

Beethoven received an offer in 1808 from the King of Westphalia, Jérme Bonaparte, to become the Kapellmeister of the royal choir and orchestra at Cassel for a salary of 600 gold ducats per year. Archduke Rudolf dissuaded him from leaving Vienna by guaranteeing him an annual sum of 4,000 florins to be contributed by Prince Lobkowitz, Count Kinsky and himself.

Beethoven made his last appearance as a performer at the piano in April 1814. He presented his clearest work Opus 97, a trio for piano, violin and violoncello. The Seventh and the Eighth Symphonies were also composed in this period. On December 8, 1813, Beethoven presented the Battle Symphony Die Schlacht von Vittoria to celebrate Wellington's victory over Napoleon. The symphony became very popular, and for the first time Beethoven tasted real success. He encashed this popularity by organizing a benefit concert for himself at the Redoutensaal.

Love Life

Though Beethoven indulged in sexual transgressions as a youth in Bonn and ended up having syphilis, and had a marriage proposal rejected by Magdalena Willman in 1795, he got himself into serious affairs only in the second phase when he had relative financial security. The first woman he seriously considered marrying is believed to have been his 17-year-old student Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, in 1801. He had dedicated the Moonlight Sonata to her, but she married Count Gallenberg.

Then in 1805 Beethoven proposed to Giulietta's cousin Countess Josephine von Deym, who had been widowed the year before. They continued seeing each other for the next three years but it came to an end because of his own vacillation and the opposition from Josephine's family.

Beethoven next fell in love with Madame Marie Bigot in 1807. He apologized when her husband expressed his displeasure and that was the end of it. After this Beethoven had a serious affair with Therese Malfatti, another of his students. His plans to marry her also failed.

These affairs of Beethoven were quite well known, but three interesting love letters were discovered after Beethoven's death. Written by him, these letters carried no name or address, and were never sent. The identity of the woman could never be ascertained. Indications are that it was either Countess Guicciardi-Gallenberg or Countess Therese von Brunswig.

Meeting Goethe

The greatest living musician and the greatest living author met each other at Teplitz, a watering place in Bohemia in 1812. The two spent two delightful evenings together. On one of their walks together, they came across the Empress and the dukes. Goethe stood to one side deferentially with his hat off. Beethoven walked right through haughtily while the courtiers made way for him, and stood waiting for Goethe on the other side. He told Goethe, "I've waited for you because I honor and respect you as you deserve, but you did those there too much honor." Beethoven wrote later that Goethe was "too fond of the atmosphere of the court, more so than is becoming to a poet."

On another of their walks, their conversation was being interrupted by passers-by greeting them. When Goethe showed exasperation, Beethoven said, "Do not let that trouble Your Excellency; perhaps the greetings are intended for me." Goethe wrote of Beethoven that he was an "utterly untamed personality" and also "A more self-centered, energetic, sincere artist I never saw. I can understand right well how singular must be his attitude toward the world".

Third Phase, 1817–1824

The composer stopped composing for a while, then emerged again in what has come to be known as his late period, when he produced such masterpieces as "Hammerklavier" and the "Ninth Symphony", as well as his late string quartets and piano sonatas.

The tentative revolt against the classical norms became overt in the final phase of Beethoven's work. He heralded the Romantic Movement in music by giving a freer expression to his emotional unrest uninhibited by conventional artistic norms. His three Hammerklavier Sonatas mark the transition from the second phase to the third. So strong was his ardor for independence that he even gave up the convention of using Italian musical terminology. He coined the German name "Hammerklavier" for pianoforte, and hence this name for these sonatas.

The second of the hammerklavier sonatas, Opus 106 in B Flat Major Grosse Sonata für das Hammerklavier of 1818–1819, is the greatest of all his pieces for the piano. It expresses his rejection of despair and his fortitude in accepting old age and deafness gracefully.

The next major work to be produced by Beethoven was a Mass Missa Solemnis. It was commissioned to be performed on the accession of Archduke Rudolph as the archbishop of Olmütz but Beethoven could not complete it on time. Missa Solemnis expressed his unwavering faith in a spiritual God. Beethoven sold the pre-publication copies of the Mass to ten rulers for 50 ducats each.

Beethoven completed his Ninth Symphony, the Choral Symphony, expressing his final and mature philosophy in February 1824. And the great Ninth Symphony, seamlessly incorporating the instrumental with the choral, travels triumphantly from darkness to light, from the depths of misery and despair to enlightenment. He was desperate to present both his masterpieces but no Viennese was willing to produce these difficult pieces. Just as he was on the verge of accepting an offer by a Berlin producer to present them, music lovers of Vienna pooled their resources to underwrite the production of Missa Solemnis and the Choral Symphony. The concert on May 27, 1824 was a grand success. Beethoven could not hear the applause that followed. He became aware of it only after he turned around to face the audience.

Beethoven was commissioned by Prince Nikolai Galitzin to compose three quartets dedicated to him for a sum of 50 ducats each. He came up with five quartets—Opuses 127, 130, 132 for Galitzin, and Opuses 131, 132. Beethoven had rewritten the fourth movement of Opus 130 because the performers found it too difficult. This rejected movement was later offered as Opus 133, the Grosse Fugue. Opus 131 in C Sharp is considered to be the greatest of all Beethoven quartets.

Relationship with Nephew

Beethoven's brother Caspar Anton Carl died in 1815 and he appointed his wife Johanna and Beethoven as joint guardians of his eight-year-old son Karl. Beethoven dragged Johanna to court for sole custody of the child on the grounds that she was immoral. Karl could not stand this long drawn battle between his mother and uncle. The proceedings lasted till 1820 with Beethoven becoming the sole guardian. In spite of the affection bestowed upon the nephew by Beethoven, there were bitter fights between the two. Beethoven's overbearing attitude ultimately led to Karl attempting suicide in 1826. The event completely shook Beethoven. He finally agreed to Karl pursuing a career in the army.

The Last Days

In his last years—utterly deaf, prone to illness, and almost completely isolated from others—Beethoven surpassed himself.

Beethoven was down with pneumonia on December 2, 1826. 4. He developed jaundice and dropsy. On January 2, 1827, Karl left Vienna to join the army. Beethoven's condition deteriorated further. Hell-bent on not using the 10,000 florins he had stashed away for his nephew, he wrote to the London Philharmonic Society on March 6, 1827, imploring them to arrange a benefit concert for him. The Society agreed to it and sent him an advance of 100 pounds.

By March 16, the physicians felt that Beethoven wouldn't live long. He signed a will on March 23, bequeathing everything to his nephew Karl. His brother summoned a priest for the last sacrament and Beethoven reportedly thanked him for this last service. He uttered the words "Comedia finita est"—the phrase announcing the end of a play in classic Roman theatre. When a shipment of wine arrived on March 24, Beethoven said, "Pity, pity, too late." These were his last words. He was given some wine, and later he fell into a coma.

Beethoven died on March 26, 1827 at 5:30 in the evening. Just before his death, a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder aroused Beethoven. He raised his hand and shook his clenched fist. Post-mortem investigations revealed that he had liver cirrhosis, clogged arteries and degenerated auditory nerves.

He was buried in the Wahring cemetery. About 10,000 to 20,000 people gathered together to attend his funeral on 29th March. The torchbearers included Schubert and Grillparzer, and the pallbearers included Hummel, the pianist and Kreutzer, the violinist. Austria's greatest living author Grillparzer wrote the funeral oration.