One thing I’ve noticed is that in today’s world the pop stars are generally the ones in the spotlight as composers mostly lurk in the background.
It made me wonder if the currently well-known composers of the past were in a similar situation, or if their popularity exceeded that of the famous singers during their time.
Hi, it's really going to depend on the individual composer and time/place, but running with Beethoven, here are a quick smattering of previous answers that you can check out while waiting for a direct reply to your questions.
/u/Stoicismus in What was daily life like for professional musicians in Vienna during Mozart and Beethoven's lifetimes?
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