5 December: Beethoven’s caffeine addiction

Every day throughout Advent, the season of overindulgence, we’ll be telling a tale of an overindulgent composer

Published: December 5, 2017 at 10:00 am

Composer: Beethoven

How indulgent: Obsessively indulgent

How: Beethoven, like many of us, drank coffee for breakfast. Unlike most of us, he would count out 60 coffee beans every time he had a cup. In the words of his biographer Anton Schindler, ‘coffee seems to have been the one indispensable item in his diet’.

Did you know: Coffee wasn’t his only habit. When Beethoven arrived in Vienna, he favoured macaroni and parmesan cheese, simple stew and fish, Ofen wine and bread soup. He kept salami and stracchino cheese in his room. He had bread soup every Thursday, with 10 sizable eggs presented to him on a plate.

Now indulge yourself with….. Piano Sonata No. 3 in C Major, Third Movement Scherzo

This scherzo is full of merriment, an ideal companion to your Christmas festivities!

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