The composer who slowly lost his hearing and was completely deaf by the time he conducted his final Ninth Symphony was Beethoven. It is one of his best known works and is considered one of the best pieces in Western classical music. Beethoven, as we know him, or by his full name, Ludwig Van Beethoven was a German pianist and composer, known for being a virtue of the instrument. He established a career in Vienna and died there, a city renown for having musicians of various talents.