The Impact of Deafness on Beethoven’s Music and Career, Essay Example

Ludwig Van Beethoven remains one of the most significant and influential composers in classical music. His life and career span the eras of the Classical and Romantic periods; his music remained rooted in the traditions of the Classical period but also incorporated elements that would become popular in the Romantic period. Beethoven spent much of his young adulthood studying under Haydn and learning to compose his own music. He became known for his performances in this time, but composing was the central focus of his entire career. Just as Beethoven was beginning to make his mark in the world of music, he began to lose his hearing, and his career as a performer was cut short. It is impossible to know what he might have done if he had not lost his hearing, or whether he would have devoted so much energy to composing or perhaps become a notable performer as well. It is clear that his deafness made it impossible for Beethoven to be an effective performer, and led him to devote his energy to composing. Beethoven’s deafness cut him off from the world in many ways, but it also made it possible for him to develop his skills as a composer in a way that would likely not have been possible otherwise.

By some accounts, Beethoven was able to hear at least to some degree when he used devices such as “ear trumpets” as well as sounding boards that could amplify the sounds of his piano (Mai, 2007). Beethoven would use devices such as the ear trumpet so that he could hear other people speaking, and reports indicate that he could hear in this manner until as late as 1826 (Mai). Without these devices and hearing aids, however, Beethoven was able to hear very little, though he could apparently feel vibrations fairly well, which would have been useful when composing (Mai). This would also mean, however, that when he was not using his hearing devices, Beethoven could quickly and effectively cut himself off from others and enter a world of deep concentration.

It is difficult to speculate about what Beethoven might have done if he had not lost his hearing. He reportedly became reclusive an eccentric in his later years (Kernan& Tomlinson, 2012). Perhaps if he had not lost his hearing he would have become a performer. Then again, if he had not lost his hearing, he may have done any number of other things. What is clear is that when Beethoven lost his hearing, he already possessed enormous musical talent. When he was sent into a world of silence, he seemed to still have the music in his mind, and he was able to focus entirely on creating some of the most important music ever written.

References

Kerman, J., & Tomlinson, G. (2012). Listen (7th ed.). New York, N.Y.: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Mai, F. (2007). Diagnosing genius (1st ed.). Montreal [Que.]: McGill-Queen’s University Press.