The tempestuous, deeply felt music of Ludwig van Beethoven was often considered obscene by his contemporaries -- a testament to the intense passions roused by true genius. Now A&E's renowned Biography series offers a glimpse into both the historical context and the personal tragedies -- abuse, heartbreak, violent temperament, and a slow descent into deafness -- from which, paradoxically, arose his transcendent and immortal music. Tracing the life of Beethoven from his career as a child performer, to his rising notoriety as a composer and social provocateur, through his collapse under the weight of madness and despair, celebrated musicians Isaac Stern and Kurt Masur serve as guides to this enigmatic and fascinating life.

Ludwig von Beethoven made some of the most powerful and inspiring music ever created. His nine symphonies and countless smaller works made him a giant star in his day - the late 18th and early 19th centuries. But the pressures of fame also made this temperamental and fragile soul go through extreme anguish and raging self doubts. For Beethoven's personality was as intense unwieldy and extreme as his music. He was filled with contradictions. For example though he grew to be incredibly rich he dressed like a pauper and scorned the delicate social mores of his aristocratic patrons; though supportive of populist anti-aristocratic causes he spent a good part of his fortune in court in a failed attempt to prove he had a noble heritage. And most tragic of all the man who gave the world such powerful music became totally deaf by the time he was 40. A gloomy failure in romance erratic and bombastic with his patrons and fans often isolated and lonely Beethoven's personality is as complex as his creative output was profound.

Part P.T. Barnum part Billy Graham his vision transformed shopping in America and made him one of the world's richest men. In 1945, Sam Walton opened the first of a chain of Ben Franklin five-and-dime franchises in Arkansas, and in 1962, his first Wal-Mart discount store. He created a national chain of Wal-Mart stores in small towns and rural areas, selling brand-name goods in high volume at low prices. The company went public and thanks to a unique decentralized distribution system and his charismatic leadership and celebrated hands-on management style, it grew exponentially in the 1980s. In 1991 Wal-Mart became the nation's largest retailer, with 1,700 stores; he was reported by Forbes to be the richest man in the country. He was president and CEO until 1988 and chairman until his death.

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