erected there in the Münster Platz to his illustrious grandson, Liszt
being the moving spirit in the matter. The grandfather was in every way
a worthy man, but he died when our composer was three years of age, and
from that time poverty and hardship of all kinds was the portion of the
family. Beethoven's father was careless and improvident. His salary of
300 florins, about $145, was all they had upon which to live. The
mother was the daughter of a cook and the widow of a _valet de chambre_
to one of the Electors. She was kind-hearted, of pleasant temper and
lovable disposition, and the affection between mother and son was deep
and lasting. The father was stern, and a strict disciplinarian, as so
often happens in such cases. He was determined that the son should do
better than himself, being willing to furnish the precept, if not the
example.

Reared in this school of adversity the boy had a hard life. His father
was his first teacher, teaching him both violin and clavier. He began
with him as early as his fourth year; he seems to have been aware of the
boy's ability, but had no consideration, and was a hard taskmaster.
Before he was nine years of age, however, the boy's progress was so
great that the father had no more to teach him.

In those times the musical life centered about the Court. Beethoven
studied the organ under the court organist, Van den Eeden, an old friend
of his grandfather's. Van den Eeden was succeeded shortly after by
Christian Neefe, and Beethoven, then eleven years of age, was
transferred to him. Neefe had an important bearing on Beethoven's life.
He was in his best years, thirty-three, when he began teaching him, and
was a thorough musician, who had had a varied experience before assuming
this post. He was a university man as well, and it was fortunate for
Beethoven in every way that he was brought in childhood under the