How Beethoven Lost His Hearing
By
B.L. and B.I

 He started to lose his hearing in his 20’s. When he was 40 he had totally lost his hearing. 
Here is a letter Beethoven wrote:
    “Let me tell you that my most prized possession, my hearing, has greatly deteriorated…The symptoms are said to be caused by the condition of my abdomen…When I am playing and composing, my affliction still hampers
me least; it affects me most when I am in company…my ears continue to hum and buzz day and night. I must confess that I lead a miserable life. For almost two years, I have ceased to attend any social functions, just because I find it impossible to say to people: I am deaf. If I had any other profession I might be able to cope
with my infirmity; but in my profession it is a terrible handicap…At a distance I cannot hear the high notes of instruments or voices…I can hear sounds, it is true, but cannot make out the words. But if anyone shots, I can’t bear it!”
· It started with a ringing and buzzing in his ears.
· As he got older, the buzzing got louder.
· He cut off the legs of his piano so he could feel the vibrations, and tell what he was playing. That is how Beethoven had some idea of what he played sounded like. An experiment you can do at home is you take a piece of wood and hold it between your teeth. Touch the other end to a piano, and then play the piano. The vibrations will go through the stick and hit your teeth, then your teeth send the vibrations to your brain.
· Major manufacturers who thought he was a major composer gave 4 of Beethoven’s pianos to him. For example, major companies (like Nike, Adidas, etc., etc., etc.) give sponsors to athletes.
· Beethoven had conversation books that his guests would write in so he would know what they were saying.
· People would think that Beethoven was rude because he would not respond to them when they said, “Hi,” or other formal things.
· Beethoven got many “ear trumpets,” but he never used them. An ear trumpet is a device that you would place in your ear. The sound waves would enter through a large hole, which would gather the sound waves easier than your ear. In conclusion Beethoven loss of hearing Beethoven was a major handicap that could have ruined his career but he learned to live with his handicap and composed some of his greatest works. 
If we were deaf, and had the same career as Beethoven we probably wouldn’t have made it.

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Last updated: July 18, 2003