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Morris, Edmund. Beethoven: The Universal Composer. HarperPerennial, 2010.

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Ludwig van Beethoven was born around December 16th, 1770, to Johann van Beethoven and Maria Magdalena van Beethoven, but the exact date is unknown.

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Beethoven's father had no more to teach him about music, and all of his many other instructors would tell everyone how good he was. He was withdrawn from school that fall to get advanced instruction from Christian Gottlob Neefe.
"By the summer of 1981, Ludwig could learn nothing more from Johann...Arrangements were made for him to receive advanced instruction from Christen Gottlob Neefe." (Page 20)

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Joseph II, "the people's Emperor," dies, and Beethoven will compose the piece for his funeral. Three weeks later, he is fired. At the time, this is thought to be because he wasn't up to the task, but a century later, it is revealed to be because of the piece would take forty minutes to perform.

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Beethoven's teacher after Neefe, Franz Joseph Haydn, declares that Beethoven is ready to compose grand operas, which is basically a play with a large focus on music. Haydn then says he is done composing, although the book doesn't state whether or not these two events are related.
"...he had progressed enough for Haydn to announce...that young Beethoven was ready to write 'grand operas.' As for Haydn himself, he would 'soon be obliged to quit composing.'"(Page 53)

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His new piece, The Creation, gets its debut for a private audience at the Schwarzenberg Palace. Even though there are many royals and musical elite are the only ones there, it does extremely well.

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Beethoven gives a grand concert at the Royal Imperial Court Theater, with the advertisement more  or less declaring him the newest great German composer and performer, and this idea is solidified by the public not long after.
"The advertisement...was certainly impressive...Beethoven was could hardly have done more to proclaim himself the coming man of German music. "(Page 77-78)

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Beethoven composes many songs, but some think that it more of one big song divided up, historians saying that each one is completely distinct, but somewhat connected.

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Beethoven holds an Akademie, which is a school that is not part of the government, in which is is both a pianist and a conductor, despite his hearing loss. He gets payed 1,800 florins.
"On April 4, 1803, Beethoven held another Akademie...which netted him another 1,800 florins"(Page 101)

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Beethoven releases Fidelio, but since Napoleon successfully invaded five days earlier, nobody is there. This is the beginning of the legacy of Beethoven's least successful piece, which will fail time and time again, which will cause him much stress.

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Beethoven's pieces have thirty-two public performances,  which is an astronomically large number. His Fifth Symphony specifically is a huge hit.
"During 1808, there had been no fewer than thirty-two public performances of his work in Vienna as opposed to five of Haydn's and only two of Mozart's. His powerful new Fifth Symphony was clearly destined to be as big a hit as the Eroica". (Page 127-128)

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Fifty-three of his works published this month, or eighty-seven percent, were dedicated to aristocrats, all of whom deemed him good enough to write music to him.

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Beethoven's brother Casper is getting extremely worse. In his will, Casper says that his son Karl will be under the custody of Beethoven. That document had no mention to Casper's wife.
"...my brother Ludwig van Beethoven, I desire that after my death, he undertake the guardianship of my son...The most notable feature of this declaration was the absence of any reference to his Casper's wife, Johanna."(Page 156-157)

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Beethoven has had a lot of recent success, so some people from the Opera approach him and asks if he wishes to remake Fidelio, saying that the lack of success of the original can be blamed on Napoleon Bonaparte's occupation of Vienna. Beethoven agrees, as he still is hung up on the failure. On the 23rd, it was revived, as was an instant success, although Beethoven had trouble rehearsing as his deafness was increasing.

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Casper's condition is terminal. He finalizes his will, giving Beethoven absolute custody of Karl, noting how his wife and Beethoven don't get along.
"...Casper van Beethoven's tuberculosis became terminal... 'the best of harmony does not exist between my brother and my wife.''
(Page 175)

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Beethoven goes to court with Karl's mother, who has provided enough evidence for Beethoven to be considered unstable enough as a parent to have his guardianship of Karl suspended for a while.

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Beethoven has been going through a year of sickness, and on this day, he completes what is his only meaningful piece of the year, Piano Sonata in A-flat major, Op. 110.
"Piano Sonata in A-flat major, Op. 110 which Beethoven completed on Christmas Day, 1821. It was the only substantial piece he produced in his days of illness." (Page 203)

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Екатерина Чеботарёва

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L. van Beethoven - Sonata in A-flat major, op.110/ Ekaterina Chebotareva-piano

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Beethoven gets two foreign commissions at the same time. One from Prince Gallitzin who requested one to three new quartets, and Ferdinand Ries wanted a new symphony for the London Philharmonic Society. Although the first offer would have been better, Beethoven accepts both as a challenge.

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Beethoven's 9th Symphony is released, as is one of the most popular pieces by anyone, anywhere, anytime, right away.
"...its effect on May 7th, 1824...'Never in my life,' Schindler wrote...'did I hear such frenetic and cordial applause.'" (Page 209-211)

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After cutting a trip with Karl short due to bad health, Beethoven arrives home and is put straight to bed. On his way home in the carriage, he works on an unfinished string quintet, which was marketed as Beethoven's Last Musical Thought.
"...the manuscript of a unfinished string quartet, which he had begun to write at Gneixendorf immediately...issued it as "Beethoven's Last Musical Thought." (Page 218-219)

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Ludwig van Beethoven - Letzter musikalischer Gedanke, WoO 62 (Katsaris) (1826)

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Beethoven dies the same time on the same day his father introduced him as a child prodigy many years ago. Karl is his sole heir.