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Imagine you're walking down the cobbled streets of Vienna over 200 years ago.

Horse-drawn carriages clatter by, and people in tall hats and long coats bustle about their day.

As you pass a candlelit window, you hear something amazing.

A powerful symphony flows through the air, full of booming drums, dancing violins, and melodies that feel like a storm and sunshine all at once. You stop

and listen. You can't believe one person wrote this music. This is the music of Ludwig von Beethoven,

one of the most famous and important composers who ever lived.

What makes it even more amazing is that by the time he composed much of his famous music,

he couldn't even hear it.

That's right.

Beethoven lost his hearing, but his passion for music never faded.

His story is one of hard work, great talent, and never giving up, even when life was very

difficult.

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, in December of 1770.

His family was full of musicians. His grandfather was a respected musician,

and his father taught music and played in the court choir. From a very young age, Beethoven showed signs of being a musical genius.

He started learning piano and violin before he was even five years old. His father wanted him

to become the next musical wonder, just like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, another famous composer

...