Ludwig von Beethoven

In 1787 Beethoven traveled to Vienna and met his idol,Mozart. When Beethoven improvised on a melody that Mozart had given him, the great master was astounded. It is said that Mozart remarked, "This young man will leave his mark in the world some day,"

Then tragedy struck. He discovered that he was slowly becoming deaf. This was the great crisis of his life. In an anguished letter to his brothers, in 1802 Beethoven described his growing deafness and his life of loneliness.