How did Beethoven react to going deaf?

I was deeply saddened at so hard a fate.” Once his hearing was fully gone by age 45, Beethoven lost his public life with it. Giving up performing and public appearances, he allowed only select friends to visit him, communicating through written conversations in notebooks.

californiasymphony.org - The Whole Story of Beethoven's Deafness - The California Symphony

Are Kawai pianos good quality?

Kawai doesn't make as many pianos as Yamaha, but you will still find Kawai products in many places. As far as quality is concerned most would agree...

Last updated Nov 22, 2018

Who is the most skilled guitarist?

Jimi Hendrix is the most skilled and innovative guitar player of all time, and it's not particularly close.

Last updated Apr 18, 2021

Promotion

“How he dealt with this deafness is one of the great stories of humanity, not just of music.” — Music Director Donato Cabrera

By California Symphony Music Director Donato Cabrera

Imagine directing an orchestra you can’t hear. Or playing a soundless piano for a staring audience. Most know classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven struggled with deafness — but many don’t realize how much of a struggle it was. Beyond composing without hearing a note, Beethoven grappled with living in the 1800s when few understood deafness, hindering his ability to communicate, work as a musician and even find a place to live. How he dealt with this deafness is one of the great stories of humanity, not just of music.

Losing Sound

Beethoven began losing his hearing in his mid-20s, after already building a reputation as a musician and composer. The cause of his deafness remains a mystery, though modern analysis of his DNA revealed health issues including large amounts of lead in his system. At the time, people ate off of lead plates — they just didn’t know back then. Continuing to compose and conduct, he changed lodgings constantly in Vienna, which could be due to Beethoven’s landlords’ frustration with him pounding on his piano at all hours. Beethoven even continued performing publicly as a musician, which was necessary for many composers of the age: That’s how they got their pieces out, not just composing but performing. For the longest time he didn’t want to reveal his deafness because he believed, justifiably, that it would ruin his career. His condition didn’t go unnoticed, however. Composer Louis Spohr reacted to watching Beethoven rehearse on piano in 1814: “…the music was unintelligible unless one could look into the pianoforte part. I was deeply saddened at so hard a fate.” Once his hearing was fully gone by age 45, Beethoven lost his public life with it. Giving up performing and public appearances, he allowed only select friends to visit him, communicating through written conversations in notebooks. His deafness forced him to become a very private, insular person over the course of time.

Composing in Silence

A common question is how Beethoven continued composing without his hearing, but this likely wasn’t too difficult. Music is a language, with rules. Knowing the rules of how music is made, he could sit at his desk and compose a piece of music without hearing it. Beethoven’s style changed, however, as he retreated from public life. His once-vivacious piano sonatas began to take on a darker tone. His famous Sixth Symphony also reflects his different life in deafness. Also known as the Pastoral Symphony, the musical work conveys the peace of the countryside, where Beethoven escaped city life after losing his hearing. In terms of his deafness, this was a very important symphony, reflecting the importance as an individual to keep his sanity by being in the country. “How delighted I shall be to ramble for a while through bushes, woods, under trees, through grass, and around rocks” — Beethoven in a letter written in May of 1810 This and other pieces from his soundless years reflect his incredible grasp of composition. Beethoven was a master of the language of music, which is about the creation of sound, not about listening.

This article originally appeared on the Las Vegas Smith Center’s blog.

Is a neck pickup hotter than bridge?

The Bridge pickup is brighter, has more attack and more output than the neck pickup, which is generally warmer sounding and with less output to...

Last updated Mar 29, 2022

Can you learn an instrument in your 40s?

If you have the urge to make music but never had lessons as a kid — or quit before you got any good — don't despair. Sure, most professional...

Last updated Jan 22, 2022

Promotion

Is an 88 key keyboard the same as a piano?

The standard piano has 88 keys, as do many electric keyboards. However, some keyboards have less than 88 keys. The number of keys differs depending...

Last updated Mar 14, 2018

What happens if you dont tune your piano?

If your piano has gone without tuning for an extended period of time, its pitch may have dropped well below standard pitch at which it was designed...

Last updated Jan 23, 2019

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Pianoforall is one of the most popular online piano courses online and has helped over 450,000 students around the world achieve their dream of playing beautiful piano for over a decade.

Learn More »

Promotion

Is Yousician just for beginners?

The Yousician app is great for beginners, and as you can see in the video, even more advanced players can enjoy it, however it does have its...

Last updated Mar 24, 2018

Promotion

How many types of key are there?

The five types of keys on a keyboard are alphabet keys, number keys, special keys, function keys, and navigation keys.

Last updated May 24, 2019