Who influenced Beethoven?
Beethoven’s early music was largely influenced by Mozart. He admired Mozart’s music, and actually met him in Vienna at the age of sixteen, whereupon Mozart was so impressed by the young prodigy that he gave him his first composition lesson. Forced to return to Bonn with news that his mother was dying, Beethoven did not return to Vienna until 1792, by which time Mozart had died. Haydn then gave Beethoven further composition lessons for a short time, which is why music from this “first period” of Beethoven’s composing career strongly reflects the styles of Mozart and Haydn.