Google doodles a musical ode to Beethoven

The interactive doodle invites viewers to play a game wherein they have to put together his sheet music in the correct order to complete his work.

It's Ludwig Van Beethoven's birthday today. If he was alive, he would have been 245 years old. And to remember the master composer, Google turned up a musical doodle. Beethoven is one of the best composerrs to have lived. Though his exact birthday isn't known, he was baptised in the year 1770 and December 17 is celebrated as his birthday every year.

The interactive doodle invites viewers to play a game wherein they have to put together his sheet music in the correct order to complete his work. The puzzle features three of Beethoven's compositions: Fifth Symphony, Moonlight Sonata and Ode to Joy. The puzzle becomes increasingly difficult as you clear each level.

Here's what Google wrote about the doodle dedicated to the maestro:
"Ludwig's father, a middling singer in the Elector's court and a man too often in his cups, pulled the precocious child out of school at the age of ten in hopes of earning some money on the shoulders of his talent (as a result, his handwriting was so bad that musicologists still struggle to authenticate his signature). He lost two siblings prematurely, had to assume full responsibility for his family as a teenager, fell madly for unrequiting lovers twice, and, most famously, began losing his hearing at the peak of his career.

"Despite all of this, Beethoven's music prevailed. As Mozart reputedly said, "one day, [that boy] will give the world something to talk about." That he certainly did. Sure, he may have raised his voice a few times, but he could overwhelm his friends with excessive kindness and generosity just the same. And while his romances brought him more anguish than happiness, would we have Für Elise or Moonlight Sonata if they hadn't?

"It's unclear when Beethoven was actually born, but December 17th marks the 245th anniversary of his baptism. Today provided us a rare opportunity to construct a game in step with beautiful music, whose evocative moods, drama, lightness, and depth made conjuring visuals to match it rollickingly fun. Here's to one of history's greatest artists, and to hoping that, wherever you happen to be traveling this holiday, your life's work isn't eaten by a horse."

Interestingly, it took Google's doodlers nearly two years to create this.