EDGAR ALLAN POE

EDGAR ALLAN POE BIOGRAPHY
1809-1849

Tortured genius writer of such brilliant masterpieces as "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Raven", Poe is considered the Master of the Macabre and the Father of the Modern Detective Story and died peniless at the age of 40.

Edgar Allan Poe was born on Jan. 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts to parents who were travelling actors. Poe was cruelly abandoned by his father and his mother tragically died before he was 3 years old, leaving him an orphan. He was sent to be raised by his rich, dominating merchant godfather, John Allan and his wife. Poe studied in schools in Europe and at the University of Virginia. He left the University after only 8 months, due to gambling debts. Poe attended West Point and was expelled for infraction of rules.

In 1827, at the age of 18, Poe's first book, a volume of poems called "Tamerlane and other Poems", was published (a single rare copy has recently sold for $200,000!). In 1835, Poe became the editor of the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond, but lost that post due to his excessive drinking. Poe's life was filled with self-destruction, alcoholism, ill health, gambling debts and total poverty. In 1836, Poe married his 13 year old cousin, Virginia Clemm.

Poe made many enemies in his life by challenging the moralistic literary establishment and by his vicious critical style of other writer's works. Poe alternated between editing and writing prose and poetry. Throughout the 1830's and 1840's, he wrote macabre, terrifying short stories and poems, such as the famous works:

"The Raven" ("Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary'")

"The Tell-Tale Heart" ("I admit the deed! - Tear up the planks! here, here! - It is the beating of his hideous heart!")

"The Masque of the Red Death", "The Cask of Amontillado", "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Black Cat", "The Purloined Letter", "The Fall of the House of Usher".

"The Raven" won Poe national fame and Poe finally began to become famous for his works. "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" was considered the first modern detective story. Poe was also considered the inventor of gothic fiction.

In 1847, Poe's wife, Virginia, died of tuberculosis. Poe began to drink more and became more out of control and even took opium. Poe wrote the famous poem "Annabel Lee" ("That the wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.") for Virginia. By 1848, Poe was going mad and attempted suicide.

A year later Poe was due to marry the rich Sarah Shelton. On the day of their wedding, October 3, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe was found drunk, lying in the gutter outside a tavern in Baltimore and was taken unconscious to the hospital.

Four days later, Edgar Allan Poe, peniless and tortured genius, died on October 7, 1849 at the age of 40. Every year since 1949 (the 100th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe's death), a mysterious person comes to Poe's grave and leaves 3 roses and a bottle of cognac on Poe's birthday.

Edgar Allan Poe was a brilliant writer of horrifying, yet beautiful stories and poems, who used his tormented genius to create masterpieces.

HIERONYMUS BOSCH

"THE SHIP OF FOOLS" by Hieronymus Bosch

HIERONYMUS BOSCH BIOGRAPHY
1450-1516

Hieronymus Bosch is the genius Netherlander Painter, born in 1450 in s'Hertogenbosch. Bosch's paintings combined irreverent and grotesque images, fantasy, freaks, devils, and bizarre symbolism to depict corruption, indulgence, religious hypocrisy and human greed.

Among Bosch's most famous paintings are "The Ship of Fools" c. 1500 (above), which is based on German writer Sebastian Brant's work "Das Narrenschiff"- an allegorical poem about human folly of lazy, greedy, useless people on a ship going no where and led by no one. Bosch based his masterpiece on this poem and painted a ship with a drunk nun and monk singing together, a court jester, naked people, and other symbols of stupidity, corruption, indulgence and religious hypocrisy. Bosch also painted the famous "The Garden Of Earthly Delights" and "Christ Carrying The Cross".

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN BIOGRAPHY
1770-1827

The Greatest Composition in Musical History, Beethoven's SYMPHONY #9 "THE CHORAL" (1824) was composed when he was TOTALLY DEAF!

"A few fly-bites can not stop a spirited horse." - LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

Ludwig van Beethoven is the MOST FAMOUS and GREATEST CLASSICAL COMPOSER WHO EVER LIVED. Beethoven is remembered for his POWERFUL, ANGRY, GENIUS MUSIC and for composing the MOST EXCITING and INTENSE MUSIC IN HISTORY, while being DEAF! Beethoven created the "ROMANTIC" style of Classical Music (development from a motive or idea, rather than a melody).

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, on December 16 (or 15), 1770 in a family of musicians. Beethoven's father tried to force Beethoven to become "The New Mozart". Instead, he become the ONE and ONLY BEETHOVEN.

In 1787, Beethoven moved to Vienna where he studied with JOSEPH HAYDN and WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART. He was a piano virtuoso whose playing style exploded with fire and energy. Beethoven received patronage from the Austrian Royalty, WITHOUT sacrificing his independence and power.

In 1794 (at the age of 23), Beethoven began hearing noises, which were the first symptoms of DEAFNESS. He sought medical help, but with no success. In 1802 he was so distraught with deafness, he actually contemplated suicide, as witnessed in a Last Will and Testament he wrote called the "HEILIGENSTADT TESTAMENT."

Beethoven's Symphony #3 ("Eroica"), written in 1803, becomes a LANDMARK in musical history-- the FIRST TRUE "ROMANTIC" symphonic work, which was originally dedicated to NAPOLEON, who Beethoven thought was fighting for democracy. When Beethoven found out that Napoleon made himself Emperor, Beethoven furiously removed the dedication and named the symphony "EROICA." Even while his deafness worsen, Beethoven's music became even MORE Powerful. The BEST example of this is the FAMOUS SYMPHONY #5, with the MOST FAMOUS 4 NOTES in MUSICAL HISTORY.

In 1810, by the age of 40, Beethoven could no longer perform as a pianist and in 1822, by the age of 52, he was totally deaf. Beethoven became even MORE temperamental and furious and channeled all his anger into his music. The Greatest Composition in Musical History, Beethoven's SYMPHONY #9 "THE CHORAL" (1824) was composed when he was TOTALLY DEAF!

Beethoven spent his last days in a shabby room, dying of Cirrhois of the Liver and Dropsy. On his last day on March 26, 1827, at around 4 or 5 in the afternoon it was storming and there was heavy thunder. The musician Anselm Huttenbrenner says of Beethoven's dying moments, "Beethoven opened his eyes wide; he raised his right arm, fist clenched, and stared for a few seconds with a proud and menacing gaze into the emptiness before him." On that day, March 26, 1827, Ludwig van Beethoven died leaving his mark of genius for all time.