i/Ludwig_van_Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven "Beethoven" redirects here. For other uses, see Beethoven (disambiguation). a Ludwig van Beethoven (. ifludvig vwn 'bet toovan/; German: ['lu:tvtg fan 'be:t holn] ( listen); baptised 17 December 1T7of1l — 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial