His once-vivacious piano sonatas began to take on a darker tone. His famous Sixth Symphony also reflects his different life in deafness. Knowing the rules of how music is made, he could sit at his desk and compose a piece of music without hearing it.īeethoven’s style changed, however, as he retreated from public life. Composing in SilenceĪ common question is how Beethoven continued composing without his hearing, but this likely wasn’t too difficult. His deafness forced him to become a very private, insular person over the course of time. Giving up performing and public appearances, he allowed only select friends to visit him, communicating through written conversations in notebooks. Once his hearing was fully gone by age 45, Beethoven lost his public life with it. I was deeply saddened at so hard a fate.”
Composer Louis Spohr reacted to watching Beethoven rehearse on piano in 1814: “…the music was unintelligible unless one could look into the pianoforte part. His condition didn’t go unnoticed, however.
For the longest time he didn’t want to reveal his deafness because he believed, justifiably, that it would ruin his career. At the time, people ate off of lead plates - they just didn’t know back then.Ĭontinuing 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.īeethoven 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. 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. Losing Soundīeethoven began losing his hearing in his mid-20s, after already building a reputation as a musician and composer. How he dealt with this deafness is one of the great stories of humanity, not just of music. 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. Most know classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven struggled with deafness - but many don’t realize how much of a struggle it was. Or playing a soundless piano for a staring audience. Imagine directing an orchestra you can’t hear. Portrait of Beethoven by Joseph Karl Stieler (on right).īy California Symphony Music Director Donato Cabrera The Whole Story of Beethoven’s Deafness “How he dealt with this deafness is one of the great stories of humanity, not just of music.” - Music Director Donato Cabrera The Arcadian of Pastoral State by Thomas Cole (on left).
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