Maria Magdalena van Beethoven

Maria Magdalena van Beethoven, née Keverich (19 December 1746 – 17 July 1787)[2] was the wife of the Bonn court musician Johann van Beethoven, and the mother of the composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Her birthplace is now a museum, the Mutter-Beethoven-Haus.

Maria Magdalena van Beethoven
Painting by Benedikt Beckenkamp, allegedly depicting Johann and Maria Magdalena van Beethoven. Whether the portrait is authentic or not is disputed, with Alexander Wheelock Thayer writing that it rests on "uncertain tradition" and it "lacks authoritative attestation".[1]
Born
Maria Magdalena Keverich

(1746-12-19)19 December 1746
Ehrenbreitstein
Died17 July 1787(1787-07-17) (aged 40)
Bonn
Other namesMaria Magdalena Leym
SpouseJohann van Beethoven
ChildrenLudwig van Beethoven
Kaspar Anton Karl van Beethoven
Nikolaus Johann van Beethoven

Life
Her birthplace in Ehrenbreitstein, now a museum

Maria Magdalena Keverich was born in Ehrenbreitstein, a village on the Rhine opposite Koblenz (and now part of Koblenz). Her parents were Johann Heinrich Keverich (1701–1759) and Anna Klara (Clara) née Westorff (1707–1768), who were married in 1731. From 1733, Johann was head cook at the court of the Elector of Trier, who resided at Schloss Philippsburg in Ehrenbreitstein.[3][4]

Maria Magdalena was the youngest of their six children. On 30 January 1763, she married Johann Georg Leym, who was in the service of the Archbishop of Trier; he died in 1765.[3][4]

She married Johann van Beethoven at the Church of St Remigius, Bonn on 12 November 1767. Johann's father was Kapellmeister at the court of the Electorate of Cologne, which was in Bonn, and Johann was a court musician there. Johann and Maria van Beethoven had seven children: the future composer Ludwig was the second, born in 1770.[4][5]

Maria died in Bonn in 1787 of tuberculosis, aged 40.[3][5] Her birth place is now a museum, named Mutter-Beethoven-Haus.

References
  1. Alexander Wheelock Thayer, The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume I of III accessed 17 May 2022.
  2. Beethoven, Maria Magdalena van / 1746–1787 Rheinland-Pfälzische Personendatenbank
  3. Maria Magdalena Keverich Archived 30 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine Ehrenbreitstein.de, accessed 29 December 2016.
  4. Paul Nettl. Beethoven Encyclopedia. Philosophical Library, 1956. Entries "Brothers of Beethoven" and "Family".
  5. Parents Beethoven.ws, accessed 29 December 2016.
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