March 26, 1778 was the day Ludwig Van Beethoven’s music started invading ears. It was his first performance was a barely eight years old child. 49 years later on that same day March 26th , Beethoven passes away.

Ludwig was no ordinary musician. He was born with a vision and assigned to a fate that has shaped music to what it is.  Ludwig’s legacy is yet lit to this century, from having his music acknowledged by merely observers  and written on papers to being recorded on electronic devices , Compact discs and played in global orchestras.

He was only 22 when he was under the apprenticeship of Papa Haydn. Haydn was known for his unique methods of teaching music, continuing the teachings of Mozart And Bach. But not for Ludwig ,He was a young man filled with a burst filled with passion and a belief that he will never  step in another Musician’s shoes, even if it was the greatest musician of all, Amadeus Mozart. It was not long till Ludwig’s arrogance deflected with Haydn’s teachings; in less than a year he had nothing else to learn from him.

Eight years later, Beethoven had already performed his first Symphony. Rumors began to spread then that he lost his hearing.but Was that the factor that made him famous after his death? The curiosity of how such genius work is being produced without being heard by its composer.

Its a two way argument that leads to one logical conclusion, the fact about musicians and sound. Musicians tend to develop what is known as “the feel,” or Instincts. These developed reactions come from what the sounds of music played around us do to our senses, and its pattern is  sub consciously being taught to the brain.If indeed Beethoven had lost his hearing, he no longer needed his hearing senses to develop his music.

It was all played within the dimensions of his brain and what has become his natural abilities and instincts : to know the next note without playing it. Just like predicting the future, the fate of a musical piece lays within him, the future of a note and where it stands next. The music that resulted from this is no different than the pieces with his full hearing functionality, or maybe it was even better.

The opposed argument comes when one listens to Beethoven’s symphonies and realizes the genius of its dynamics. Considering Ludwig’s 5th Symphony, the masterpiece of all symphonies in some opinions, is it really possible that such genuine genius could be composed in such perfection without being heard by its composer? For some, the only logical explanation is that Beethoven never lost his hearing completely, it has only faded with time and music sound vibrations that surrounded him , a common side effect of his life which was music.

This controversy has gained him the immortality and respect he always wanted. It is only sad, like the Moon light Sonata, that he achieved it after his death.

Image Courtesy of  Joseph Karl Stieler [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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About the author

Abarai Mido
Music Engineer