Today in Music History - Dec. 16 The Canadian Press 2020-12-16 Today in Music History for Dec. 16: In 1770, German composer Ludvig Van Beethoven was born in Bonn. Universally recognized as one of the greatest composers ever, Beethoven's work crowned the classical period and also marked the start of the romantic era in music. Beethoven expanded the classical sonata and symphony, and his influence on the composers who followed was immense. His deafness began when he was about 30 and was total by his late 40s. While his affliction did not hamper his creativity, Beethoven never heard much of his later work. He died, after a long illness, in 1827 -- in the middle of a raging thunderstorm. It is said that the dying Beethoven shook his fist defiantly at the heavens.