Includes bibliographical references and index.

The great Beethoven -- A musical family -- Learning the hard way -- Making a name for himself -- Beethoven meets Mozart -- Back to Vienna -- The symphony -- A silent tragedy -- The Heroic symphony -- Beethoven's strange habits -- In love and family matters -- Ode to joy -- Beethoven lives on.

Introduces Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the best-known composers of all time, who not only broke the rules about how music is written, but also about how musicians should be treated.