Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and the predominant musical figure in the transition period between the Classical and Romantic eras. He was born on December 16, 1770 and died on March 26, 1827 at the age of 56. He was a pianist and composer whose innovative composition combined voice and instruments, broadening the scope of the sonata, symphony, concerto, and quartet. His personal life was marked by the struggle against deafness. Some of his most important works were composed during the last 10 years of his life, when he was completely unable to hear. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayA symphony most often written by the composer for orchestra and is an extended musical composition in Western classical music. Beethoven created the first symphony and began with two works that directly emulated his model Mozart and Haydn. Symphonies are written for strings such as violin, viola, cello and double bass, for brass, woodwind and percussion instruments. Other instruments such as the piano and celesta may sometimes appear in a fifth section of the keyboard or may stand alone, as can the concert harp and, for the performance of some modern compositions, electronic instruments. A full-scale orchestra may sometimes be called a symphony orchestra or philharmonic orchestra. The actual number of musicians employed in a given performance can range from seventy to over one hundred musicians, depending on the work performed and the size of the venue. In recent decades some orchestras have returned to the provision of baroque, classical and early romantic musicians; second violins on the right, cellos and violas in the center which give the music a stereophonic effect. What is an orchestra? Whether viewed as a collection of individuals, or as a single, quasi-organic entity, it is widely accepted that there is no standard form for the orchestra; that its size and instrumental composition will vary to suit the needs of the music. These requirements may be established by the composer, or implicit in the style and period of the repertoire to be performed. Another element of orchestral design is seating arrangements, or positioning, which again has no single standard, but can have as much influence on the overall sound as numbers or instrumentation. Orchestral arrangement receives little, if any, attention in many of the manuals found on conducting or orchestration. It is probably less important than the basic principles of technique in both disciplines; however the way an orchestra is organized undeniably has an influence on its sound and function. Despite its possible impact on performance outcomes – that is, the practical aspects of music-making for musicians and conductors, and the way the music sounds to audiences – seating often does not receive the flexible treatment afforded to many other aspects of performance practice. The first movement opens with the four-note motif discussed above, one of the most famous in Western music. There is considerable debate among conductors regarding how to play the opening four bars. Some conductors perform it in a strictly allegro tempo, others take the liberty of a heavy treatment, playing the tune in a much slower and statelier tempo; still others take the motif very tardindo (a slowing pronounced through each four-note phrase), claiming that the corona on the fourth note justifies it. In any case, it is essential to convey the spirit of and-two-and-one, as written, not the most common but misleading.