Beethoven's deafness turned out to be a myth

Beethoven's deafness turned out to be a myth
Beethoven's deafness turned out to be a myth
Anonim

Ludwig van Beethoven began to lose his hearing at the age of 26, and at the time of writing the last major works he was already completely deaf - this fact is considered proven and undeniable. But in fact, according to some researchers, the famous composer continued to hear partially with his left ear almost until his death, according to The Guardian.

The generally recognized biography of Beethoven says that by 1814, that is, by the age of 44, he had completely lost the ability to perceive sounds. But, nevertheless, he continued to work. In 1824, the premiere of his final work, Symphony No. 9, took place. According to legend, the audience gave the composer an ovation, but he, standing with his back to the audience, did not hear anything. Then one of the singers made him turn so that Beethoven could see the raging fans.

Musicology professor Theodore Albrecht from the University of Kent (USA) came to the conclusion that in reality things could be a little different. He analyzed unique historical documents - notebooks with notes, with the help of which the composer communicated with those around him. Several testimonies were found that Beethoven, although he suffered from a serious hearing impairment, still did not lose it “to the very depths” and continued to hear partially in 1827 (that is, several years before his death).

So, in 1823, Beethoven visited his favorite coffee shop and there "got into conversation" with a stranger, also suffering from hearing impairment. The composer wrote him advice: “The baths and country air could improve a lot. Just don't use mechanical devices (hearing tubes) too early. By refraining from using them, I have kept my left ear fairly well."

In 1824, a colleague of the composer warned him: "You can conduct the overture in complete solitude, but conducting the entire concerto would strain your ears too much, so I would not advise you to do so." From this entry, Albrecht concluded that by this time Beethoven had retained the remnants of hearing, otherwise the precautions would have made no sense.

In total, the professor identified 23 direct and several dozen indirect indications of Beethoven's ability to hear. In his opinion, such a discovery will force historians to rewrite the entire official biography of the musician. At the moment, Theodor Albrecht is editing Beethoven's notes and translating them from German into English. It is assumed that the completed work will consist of 12 volumes.

Earlier it was reported that scientists have named the possible cause of Beethoven's hearing impairment. Perhaps the composer became a victim of lead poisoning - in his time, the toxic substance was contained both in dishes and in cheap wine.

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