Born in Germany, Beethoven’s musical talent was obvious at an early age. He eventually earned a reputation both as a musician and a composer. At the age of 28, he noticed difficulties with his hearing and by the time he was 45, he became totally deaf. In his career, he produced 722 works, including 9 symphonies, 35 piano sonatas and 16 string quartets. Beethoven is one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical music repertoire and span the transition from the Classical period to the Romantic era. His greatest achievement was that he managed to raise instrumental music to the highest level of art, similarly to literature and painting.