In Memoriam

On this day in 1827, one hundred and eighty-three years ago, Ludwig van Beethoven passed from mortal life into immortal memory. Years of illness had taken their toll on his body and spirit. With his profound reserves of strength, however, Beethoven composed masterpiece upon masterpiece in the final decade of his life: the last five piano sonatas, the Diabelli Variations, the Ninth Symphony, the Missa Solemnis, the late piano Bagatelles, and the final string quartets.

Friends and family gathered round the bed in his rooms at the Schwarzspanierhaus for the deathwatch. Surgery was performed on Beethoven's swollen abdomen; more than 25 pounds of fluid were drained by tapping, or puncturing, the belly. The abdominal pain worsened and Beethoven stopped eating entirely. The emaciated tone-poet signed his final will on March 23 and took his last sacrament on the following day, lapsing into unconsciousness soon thereafter. Death at long last released Beethoven from the unendurable pain.

Thousands of mourners lined the streets of Vienna for the funeral procession to the Wahring cemetery. The composers Hummel, Czerny, and Schubert served as pallbearers or torchbearers. The poet Grillparzer wrote a poignant funeral oration, which was delivered at the burial by the actor Anschutz.