Beethoven’s Descent into Silence: the Onset of Deafness in a Musical Genius
Words: 555 1439Ludwig van Beethoven, whose symphonies and sonatas have become timeless, began to lose his hearing at the peak of his musical career, a personal tragedy that paradoxically fueled his creative genius. His gradual descent into deafness is not only a key aspect of his biography but also a lens through which to view his profound contributions to classical music. Beethoven's hearing loss began subtly in the late 1790s when he was around 26 years old, just as he was establishing […]