He was aware that his hearing loss would present some problems in his professional life, and “what was of equal importance for him, his social life as well.” Wegeler, “that the malicious demon, however, bad health, has been a stumbling-block in my path my hearing during the last three years has become gradually worse.” At that particular time, Ludwig van Beethoven was still hoping that his doctors might be able to help him. As for my enemies, of whom I have a fair number, what would they say?” In June 1801 Beethoven confides in his Bonn friend F. For nearly 2 years past I have avoided all society, because I find it impossible to say to people, ‘I am deaf!’ In any other profession this might be more tolerable, but in mine such a condition is truly frightful. I can with truth say that my life is very wretched. I can hear the sounds, but not the words. He writes, “I don’t hear the high notes of the instruments and voices, and sometimes, I cannot hear people who speak quietly. He rightly believed that it would ruin his career. Ludwig van Beethoven continued to perform publically, and he was very careful to not reveal his deafness. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No.1 in C major, Op. Beethoven writes, “my ears keep buzzing and humming day and night, and if someone yells, it is unbearable to me.” The continued buzzing in his ear made it increasingly difficult to hear music or conversations, and it drove him to the brink of suicide. Supposedly, Beethoven said about that particular fall, “I found myself deaf, and have been so ever since.” The hearing loss initially affected mostly his left ear, and as it grew worse Beethoven started to suffer from a severe form of tinnitus. This small accident was not the cause of Beethoven’s deafness, but it triggered a long and continuous hearing loss that would end in almost complete silence. However, his leg got stuck and he fell face down to the floor. Beethoven is said to have jumped up from the piano angrily to rush and open the door. Unexpectedly he returned and knocked on the door. Apparently, they got into a heated argument and the tenor stormed out in a huff. The story goes that a tenor was visiting Beethoven in his apartment. In 1815, he told the English pianist Charles Neate that the cause of his hearing loss could be traced back to a quarrel he had with a singer in 1798. It seems that he noticed the first symptoms in 1796, or possibly somewhat earlier. At first, these periods of temporary hearing loss might not have caused him much concern, as he had suffered from a number of ailments, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, and spells of fever since childhood. During his mid-20s, he gradually started to lose his hearing. In fact, he was the first major composer in that city who did not depend on a fixed musical appointment. Ludwig van Beethoven needed to be busy, because he was a freelance musician. At the same time he composed music for a variety of musical ensemble and occasions. He made his name by showcasing his talents as a pianist, and he composed and performed piano sonatas of extreme technical difficulty. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was the rising star on the Viennese music scene in the last decade of the 18th century.
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