In his earlier works when he could hear the full range of frequencies, he often used lots of high notes. His hearing loss did impact his musicīeethoven’s hearing loss actually did influence his composition style. His housekeepers also told of how he would sit at his piano with a pencil in his mouth touching the instrument, so he could feel the vibration of the notes while he worked away. His hearing loss never stopped him composingĮven though his hearing was steadily deteriorating, he still managed to compose an opera, six symphonies, four solo concerti, five string quartets, six string sonatas, seven piano sonatas, five sets of piano variations, four overtures, four trios, two sextets, and 72 songs! This flurry of activity still ranks as one of the most productive periods in the life of any musician!īecause Beethoven had been immersed in music from such a young age (and because he was a pretty exceptional man) – even after he lost his hearing, he could still ‘hear’ the music in his head. “If I belonged to any other profession it would be easier, but in my profession, it is a frightful state.” #3. This caused a big impact on his social life, with Beethoven writing “for two years I have avoided almost all social gatherings because it is impossible for me to say to people ‘I am deaf’. Some even blamed his habit of dunking his head in cold water when he was tired!īut the truth is, no one can confirm the cause – what we do know is at 26, he started hearing a ringing and a buzzing in his ears, and things worsened from there.īeethoven’s biggest fear was that his lack of hearing would affect his career, so even though he had nearly completely lost his hearing by the time he was 44, he desperately tried to hide this from everyone, even his closest friends. There are lots of theories flying around about what caused Beethoven to lose his hearing, including syphilis, lead poisoning, and lupus. We don’t know what caused Beethoven to lose his hearing Legend goes that as a small child, Beethoven was forced to stand on a stool so he could reach the piano keys, and was whipped for any mistakes. Sadly, it wasn’t just encouragement Beethoven got from his Dad – he also regularly received emotional and physical abuse and was forced to practice for days on end.
Born in Germany in 1770, Beethoven was thrown into the world of music from a very young age and made his public performance debut at just 7 (although his Dad told everyone he was 6 to create extra hype). Beethoven’s father pushed him to become a child prodigyīeethoven’s Dad (a music teacher), planned all along for Beethoven to be a child prodigy. This musical master managed to achieve some remarkable things in his life – including composing his most complex and highly regarded symphony while deaf.
Beethoven might be considered one of the greatest composers of all time, but it’s surprising how little many people actually know about him.
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