Composer Beethoven Continued to Create Masterpieces Even When He Could No Longer Hear Until the End of His Life.
The German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) is regarded as one of humanity’s greatest musicians. From a young age, he displayed his genius and was considered the most famous composer since Mozart. However, when he reached his thirties, Beethoven faced an unimaginable challenge for a musician: he became deaf.
A painting of Beethoven – the great composer with immortal works famous to this day
What Caused Beethoven’s Deafness?
Around the age of 26, Beethoven began to frequently hear buzzing and ringing in his ears. In 1800, at the age of 30, he wrote a letter from Vienna to a childhood friend, expressing: “For the past three years, my hearing has been gradually getting worse. In the theater, I have to get very close to the orchestra to hear the performers. I cannot hear the high notes of instruments and the singer’s voice.”
As a musician, Beethoven tried to keep his condition a secret from even his closest friends, always fearing that his career would be ruined if anyone found out. He avoided social interactions out of fear of revealing his illness and was also afraid to confront it himself.
Beethoven was believed to still be able to hear some speech and music until 1812. However, by the age of 44, he was nearly completely deaf.
The exact cause of the talented composer’s hearing loss has always been a subject of controversy. Many theories suggest it was a side effect of syphilis or lead poisoning, scarlet fever, or even rumors that his deafness resulted from habitually soaking his head in cold water to stay alert.
Beethoven himself also suffered, struggled, and did not accept his illness.
Even Beethoven could never explain why he lost his ability to hear. At one point, he claimed it was a result of a stroke he had in 1798, while others believed it was due to stomach problems.
After the composer’s death, an autopsy was conducted. It was discovered that he had a severely damaged and swollen inner ear.
How Did Beethoven Compose Music When He Could Not Hear?
Clearly, for a musician, deafness tormented the German composer for half his life. It wasn’t until 1822 that he finally gave up seeking treatment for his hearing and accepted the painful truth. Beethoven also used some hearing aids, but at that time, their effectiveness was limited.
Some hearing aids and instruments in the 19th century
Nevertheless, Beethoven continued to compose and even achieved tremendous success; his career was not affected despite his inability to hear. This can be explained easily. Scientists state that Beethoven had heard and played music for the first three decades of his life. More than anyone else, he understood all the rules of instruments and vocals, how music would sound. Furthermore, his deafness was a gradual decline in hearing over time, not a sudden loss of hearing. Thus, the composer could still imagine in his mind how his works would sound.
Having a deep understanding of music, Beethoven could compose from imagination
Beethoven’s assistants recounted that when his hearing became significantly impaired, he would sit at the piano, place a pencil in his mouth, and touch the other end to the piano’s soundboard to feel the vibration of each note. Throughout the last 20 years of his life, Beethoven composed music from his memory and imagination, rather than from his ears. Not only did he continue to compose, but Beethoven also performed and conducted orchestras after becoming deaf.
His masterful musical ability is undeniable, even when faced with the challenge of deafness. However, despite the quality of his compositions not diminishing, modern experts assess that his deafness did have an impact, altering Beethoven’s music.
In his early works when he could still hear all frequencies, he frequently used high notes. As his hearing diminished, Beethoven began to use lower notes more often because these were the notes he could hear more clearly. High notes returned in his compositions later in life, indicating that he had “heard” his works taking shape in his imagination masterfully.
