Charles Margerison - Amazing People of Germany

Welcome to this inspirational eBook, which provides you with a unique and fascinating collection of life stories. It is part of a series developed by the Amazing People Club, written in the form of a BioView, which is a short name for a biographical interview.

A BioView is a new concept that reveals amazing stories, as if the person has given an interview about their life. Each of the stories can normally be read in around five to ten minutes. They are based on the known facts of each individuals life, plus what they may have felt about their experiences.

The unique format and flow enables each persons story to come alive, as if it is being personally told to you. Each one of them reflects the interests, emotions and passions linked to the amazing persons achievements. They are stories that can provide inspiration and ideas for your own journey through life and we hope you will enjoy them.

The career notes at the end of each story supply information on each persons life, reflecting their achievements and some of the recognition they have received. They provide the background to the stories, and an easy way of learning about people who made major contributions to our world.

The stories show how ordinary people did extraordinary things to tackle problems and opportunities. Amazing people all had one thing in common. Rather than accepting the situation before them, they developed and implemented plans of action to make improvements. We can all learn from their experiences and the ways they dealt with the challenges and, in this eBook, you can understand their troubles and triumphs.

To learn more about the Amazing People Club books and audios, please visit www.amazingpeopleclub.com .

I had many admirers, but few relationships

The advances of some beautiful women tempted me

However, my search for perfection in music was more important

Sounds I could create, but eventually not hear

An affliction that drove me into a more isolated world

A world very different from where I started

My father, Johann, was a Court musician

I was his eldest son, and named after my grandfather, a noted tenor

From an early age, my father taught me to play the violin and piano

It was not an easy relationship

At times, he was very severe with me

I feared for my safety when he had been drinking

If he found fault with my work, he would hit me around the head

Maybe this is why I had hearing problems in later life

My mother, Maria, was my best friend and shielded me in times of trouble

She had also suffered much

Of her seven children, only two survived to be adults

Five of my brothers and sisters died during infancy

We lived in a solid townhouse in Bonn, Germany

Early in my youth, it was recognized that I had musical talent

At the age of seven I made my first public music performance at Cologne

Father made me practise scales for hours on end

He was very strict and angry if I made mistakes

Then he asked Thomas Pfeiffer to tutor me

This was often done late at night when I was tired

On a visit to Holland with my mother, I played for the Dutch

They appreciated the music, but were stingy with their money

Father arranged for me to be taught by Christian Gottlob Neefe

He was a keen task master and I learnt a lot from him

The lessons enabled me to become an assistant organist at Court

By the age of 12, I had written nine variations on a theme

Count Max Franz, Elector of Cologne, was my patron

It was a high honour for a 14 year old

It enabled me to earn money to support my family

This was necessary as my fathers alcoholism became worse

Word spread of my musical performances

In 1787, I was invited to play in Vienna

Mozart was living there and we met briefly

After only two weeks in the city, I received dreadful news

My mother had died, so I returned quickly to Bonn

Sadness and grieving came upon me

Shortly afterwards, my sister, Margaretha, also passed away

It took me a long time to focus once again on music

Count Waldstein became a friend and admirer of my work

To assist, he generously bought me a new piano

My Opus Number 53 was dedicated to him

The Elector, Franz, formed a new orchestra in which I played the viola

Also Haydn, the great composer, visited, and admired my compositions

The Elector said that he would pay for me to study with him

Therefore, in 1792, I returned to Vienna

It was a long and hard journey, in bad weather over rough roads

Shortly after I arrived, I received news of my fathers death

I heard that Amadeus Mozart, the great composer, had also recently died

It brought back many fears, as I saw poverty and disease all around

Aged 22, I resolved to make the best of my ability

Leading composers helped me in my quest

Haydn gave me lessons in counterpoint, as did the composer, Salieri

Later, I made tours of Prague, Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin and Budapest

In each city, I played to appreciative audiences

There were many demands on my time, and I was under pressure

Some people said that I was brusque, impatient and, at times, angry

Maybe, but I needed time to be by myself and compose

Others, like Carl Czerny, whom I taught, felt that I was helpful

Indeed, I had strong feelings for many people

But my nature was not to embrace a relationship

Countess Julie Guicciardi wanted me to do so

My Moonlight Sonata was dedicated to her

She was my immortal beloved, ever in my thoughts, but not in my life

There were others who showed me affection

Bettina von Arnim and Countess Erdody being two who I admired

However, giving myself fully to someone else was just not me

Destined to walk alone, I lived only for my music

Aged 27, I suffered greatly with a severe form of tinnitus

As a result, I slowly began to lose my hearing

By 1800, at the age of 30, I was able to write my First Symphony

Piano Sonata Pathtique

It was one of nine that I wrote in the next 25 years

The last one taking me over ten years to get right

Some people cried when they heard my music

To raise a smile, I said that I preferred applause

And, of course, money with which to live

However, it is a wonder that I wrote any music

My deafness increased, and there was no cure

Doctors recommended that I go to the countryside

In the village of Heiligenstadt, I tried to build a new life

Instead, a dark depression came upon me

Should I bring my wretched life to a conclusion?