When Was Beethoven Born

Young upstarts: Making it big at a tender age

David Leggat reviews 6 of the best sports stars that shone bright from a young age.

PELE

"I was born for soccer, just as Beethoven was born for music." So said Pele, the Brazilian legend with magic in his boots.

Stocky and powerful and blessed with razor-like reflexes, he leapt to fame as a 17-year-old during the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. He didn't start the tournament, but his goal in the quarter-final beat Wales.

He got three more against France in the semifinal before scoring twice in the final against the hosts. One came after juggling the ball beyond two defenders in the 5-2 win. To cap it off, at the final whistle in the rain he cried like, well, a 17-year-old.

Twelve years later, he scored Brazil's opening goal en route to a 4-1 win over Italy in the final in Mexico.

Pele scored 1283 first-class goals, 77 of them in 92 internationals. The greatest goalscorer of them all.

BORIS BECKER

It was the precocious German's victory at Wimbledon in 1985 which set him on the path to a place among the tennis greats.

At 17 years, 227 days, bouncing Boris, who was unseeded and largely unknown, toppled eighth-seeded South African, Kevin Curren 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-4.

He won it twice more, beating Ivan Lendl and Stefan Edberg in 1986 and 1989, and lost four finals all the while becoming a Wimbledon crowd favourite.

In the days when Becker and compatriot German Steffi Graf bestrode the courts, one of England's tabloids tended to refer to them "jackbooting" their way through Wimbledon. Nice.

Becker is still the youngest men's champion in the most famous grasscourt tournament's history.

MIKE TYSON

It's easy to forget 'Iron Mike' was just 20 years, four months and 22 days when he dispatched Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas in November 1986 to become the youngest heavyweight champion.

It gave the menacing Tyson a 28-0 win-loss record as a pro. His first 19 bouts were won by knockout, 12 in the first round, so he was rarely forced into a sweat in those days.

The Berbick demolition - a TKO in the second round - gave him the WBA, WBC and IBF titles in one or two blows.

It all started to go wrong when he was toppled by James "Buster" Douglas in Tokyo in 1990, his 38th fight, and first loss. You know the rest.

SACHIN TENDULKAR

Don Bradman is always going to be known as cricket's greatest batsman, but Sachin Tendulkar is the next best thing.

Bonn and Beethoven (born 1770) | Travelideas Blog

From September to October every year, citizens of Bonn and musicians from beyond the seas celebrate music in memory of this creative genius, Beethoven, whose birthplace we had the privilege of gingerly stepping through. 

‘Gingerly’, because the floors tilt slightly, the floors creak beneath and you then realise that you’re treading lightly on history, the very spot where Beethoven sat shivering in the shadow of a domineering father, his mother coughing somewhere in the background, then dying just a little too young. But so did Beethoven, he was only 56 years of age when he passed and that’s because as a younger man, the drink of choice was so cheap and toxic that any version of it would have been immediately banned by the NHF, without reconsideration or doubt. This (ultimately lethal) drink was said to have had fine bits of lead in its composition, which led firstly to his deafness, then to his untimely death.

Beethoven was a prodigy, born into a beautiful city but cruel circumstances. In the house, there is a glass cabinet with a frumpy, yellow note inside. It is the official invitation for all to come and watch this ‘prodigy’ play the piano. The notice however alludes to the fact that Beethoven was six years-old at the time, when he was actually eight. It seems his dad was a sensationalist, with the marketing skills of a con-artist. And although there were days when young Beethoven was chained and teased to play by his dad, his love for music always remained.

At a function in Cologne the night before we visited his birthplace, all GTM delegates were made to stand and sing Joyful Joyful, a simple yet catchy song composed by Beethoven. We were helped along by a highly-efficient choir and when we finished, I looked around. Every individual was beaming and people started clapping heartily at their own performances, but for no other particular reason. I realised then that Beethoven had indeed succeeded in brining joy, much as he had always intended to do through his music. As with the stereotyped musician, his heart must have had much depth and capacity; his aim always being to provide life and hope through notes he would later not even hear for himself.

 To me, the heart of Bonn lay at Beethoven’s birthplace; surrounding which the town derives much popularity and prestige…and rightly so.

By: Sofia Tosolari.

Beethoven as I knew him

Thayer's life of Beethoven

Beethoven's letters, a critical edition : with explanatory notes

Beethoven remembered, the biographical notes of Franz Wegeler and Ferdinand Ries

The Cambridge companion to Beethoven