Beethoven’s 250th Birthday

German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven’s (1770–1827) works are defined by incredible intellectual depth and honesty. His musical expressions of heroism and struggle mirror his personal tragedies, including the loss of his hearing and a tumultuous family life. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in music, he remains one of the most recognized and influential of all composers.

Beethoven’s career is typically categorized into three periods – early, middle and late. In his later years his hearing had almost completely gone. Interestingly, many of Beethoven’s most admired and important works of classical music came from this decade of his life.

This autograph manuscript of Violin Sonata no. 10 in G Major is Beethoven’s final violin sonata. It was written in 1812 for Pierre Rode, the greatest French violinist of the day, and first performed by Rode and Archduke Rudolph, to whom the work is dedicated.

Today, the composition can be found at the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York. We originally released this composition as an Embellished Manuscript in 2007 and now, 12 years later, we couldn’t be happier to bring it back as a Special Edition commemorating Beethoven’s 250th birthday. Whichever way you choose to use this journal, we hope it inspires you to create your own masterpiece.