ABSTRACT
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Cologne to a family of musicians; his paternal grandfather, Ludwig also, was an immigrant from Flanders who established himself there, on the other side of the Rhine, moved by the good music, the fine dance, and the sophistication of the court. Beethoven’s father, Johann, also a musician, a tenor and a music teacher, who learned to sing from his own father, as well as to play the harpsichord and the violin, was part of the church choir too. It is quite possible that Beethoven’s latter difficulties with women—not being able to cultivate a lasting relationship and even dying single—were a consequence of an early unsatisfied relationship with his mother. After Beethoven’s death in 1827, two love letters signed by him and written passionately to a very special woman were found among his personal possessions; regrettably, they lacked the date and name of the intended recipient.
