Was Beethoven really deaf when he composed his great works?

You don't have to be a great music connoisseur to have heard of Ludwig van Beethoven. One of the most popular curiosities about this genius' life and career is about the composer's supposed deafness, but was Beethoven already deaf when he composed his great works? How deaf was he? Do you know?

Born in 1770, Beethoven fell in love with music as a child and was influenced by his father, a tenor who also taught piano and violin. No wonder Beethoven was considered a prodigy in music - the first time he performed at a concert was when he was only 7 years old!

Throughout his life, this genius of music was influenced by other great composers, such as Christian Gottlob Neefe, who taught him how to compose. It was from an early age that Beethoven learned to love orchestras - many of his favorite compositions were by Mozart, who was the subject of his studies, as did Bach. By 1791 Beethoven had composed many of his most famous works.

Start

His first public performance in Vienna was in 1795, when he was already famous for being a great pianist. So far, it seems, Beethoven had perfectly normal hearing. The problem seems to have begun even in 1796, when the first references to tinnitus were found in letters written by the composer.

It was not until 1801, however, that Beethoven documented evidence that he was becoming deaf when writing to his physician. In the letter, he says that his hearing was getting worse and worse, a fact that he had noticed in the last 3 years. The composer also mentions that he was already at a level where he needed to be very close to an orchestra to understand the compositions and that it was already very difficult to hear people speaking normally - he said he heard a sound but not the words clearly.

The cause of the deafness of music genius is still unknown, although there are several theories about it. Among the hypotheses are syphilis and the composer's custom of dipping his head into a bucket of cold water whenever he felt tired.

Periods

It is also unknown when Beethoven became completely deaf, but there is evidence that the situation was so serious that people had to shout in his ear - as early as 1810. From then on, the situation would have only gotten worse. The composer is known to have continued to seek medical help until 1822, when he finally accepted that he would never have perfect hearing again.

Beethoven's work is generally divided into three periods that reflect the gradual worsening of his auditory picture. The first corresponds to his primary compositions as a child. At this stage, the notes he used were the highest. From this time, his best known works are the First Symphony and the Second Symphony.

The middle period began in the 1820s, when the composer already had serious hearing problems. His compositions of this phase are characterized by the lower notes, so he could still hear what he was creating. Among the compositions of this period are Moonlight Sonata, Fidelio and the Sixth Symphony.

End

The final period of Beethoven's work had the highest grades, and if he was not completely deaf, it was at this stage that he stayed. The Ninth Symphony is his best known work at this stage - it was first created in 1822 and was first performed in 1824. On this presentation, there are reports that Beethoven would have continued to conduct the symphony even after it was finished, without At least I heard the fervent applause behind him.

Having lost his hearing, Beethoven began writing to communicate, resulting in a grand collection of letters and "conversation books, " many of which survived and helped to report everything you have read so far.

Beethoven died in 1827. Her autopsy concluded that her auditory nerves were atrophied, and her Eustachian tube was reduced, which explains why he was deaf but not what caused his deafness, even though the composer himself believed she had relationships. with your gastrointestinal problems.

* Posted on 10/10/2014