Imagine how hard it would be if you lost your hearing sense. There would undoubtedly be a time when you wanted to give up on everything out of helplessness. But on the other hand, there’s Beethoven. Despite being deaf, he continued his passion for music.
Who was Beethoven?
Ludwig van Beethoven was an eminent German composer and pianist. He was considered one of the most respected composers in the entire history of Western music. He was also one of the most predominant musical personalities during the transitional period of the Classical and Romantic eras.
His musical career can be divided into three periods; early, middle, and late. During his early period, Beethoven started to build his career when his hearing was not an issue. And that lasted until 1802. In the middle period, his works were considered heroic.
Simultaneously, this is also when he started to experience signs of deafness. And for his late period, from 1812 to 1827, his music changed and improved through other musical forms and expressions.
Beethoven’s deafness
Beethoven’s deafness was not something that suddenly occurred. It’s something that was slowly happening. He first experienced signs of losing his hearing during his mid-20s, precisely at 26. He started to hear ringing and buzzing sounds and noises in his ears. Yet he ignored it, thinking it was not that serious.
Not until Beethoven reached the age of 30. He shared his experiences with his doctor/friend through a letter. He tried to keep it a secret from his closest friends, fearing that it may affect his career and the reputation he had built up.
Until 1812 he could still hear some sounds and music. But by the time he reached 44, he was almost entirely deaf. Theories about the cause of his deafness started to go around. Not until after he died, based on the autopsy of his body, they found out that he had a distended inner ear, causing lesions to develop as time passed.
How did Beethoven compose while deaf?
One great thing about music is it is simple to understand as long as you treat it like a language with rules. If you know all the rules and principles of how music works and is made, it is possible to create music despite being deaf. And that is how Beethoven coped with his compositions and music despite his deafness.
With decades of experience in hearing, playing, and creating music, Beethoven memorized and familiarized himself with music. Like how the instruments and voices worked together and what they sounded like. His deafness was not sudden. Instead, it was a slow impairment loss of hearing. With that, Beethoven could easily imagine what his usual compositions and music sounded like.
Another piece of evidence that shows how Beethoven dealt with his music regardless of being deaf is stated by one of his housekeepers. His housekeeper once mentioned that he would sit on his piano, then put a pencil in his mouth. And while doing that, he would let the other end of the pencil touch the piano’s soundboard. In that way, he would feel the vibrations of each note.
Did his condition affect his music?
Although Beethoven found ways to deal with his deafness while composing and playing pieces of music, it still affected and changed his sound. By the time when Beethoven’s deafness slowly got worse, that is also the time his music changed totally. Compared to his previous works, Beethoven’s sound became deeper, grander, and louder than ever before.
You can say that the changes he experienced after becoming deaf gave him more extensive opportunities instead. Together with his works and music, Beethoven became more popular. His reputation began to rise because his music contained strong emotions.
Beethoven also had an excellent opportunity to have numerous patrons competing over his works and services. And that resulted in him becoming a real independent composer. At that time, he was fully able to enjoy the freedom to write, compose and work according to his own schedule and wants.
And at the time when Beethoven entirely lost his hearing, he created the most outstanding works he ever composed, the Ninth Symphony and Missa Solemnis. Everyone, including musical professionals, are amazed at how it was composed, considering that these pieces are complex and challenging for performers. The greatest composer truly created these great works despite being deaf.
The musical journey of the world’s greatest composer
Overall, the musical journey of Beethoven was never an easy one. Even though some prevalent composers also suffer from certain conditions, being unable to hear is more serious, especially in their profession. His deafness truly challenged his capability as a composer and musician.
But Beethoven didn’t let his condition bring him down. Instead, he created various ways to deal with his situation. And that resulted in him creating most of his famous works, which are loved and admired by many individuals even today.
