Beethoven Retained Some Hearing Later In Life, Heard His Final Symphony; Used 'Conversation Books'

[appalachiablue]

'Deaf’ genius Beethoven (1770-1827) was able to hear his final symphony after all. Musicologist uncovers evidence that, contrary to established belief, the great composer retained some hearing in his final years. The Guardian, Feb.1, 2020. *2020 Is the 250th Anniversary of His Birth.*

The one thing everyone knows – or thinks they know – about Ludwig van Beethoven is that he composed some of music’s greatest masterpieces while completely deaf. Compelling as this sounds, the story has a flaw: it may not be true. According to a leading Beethoven expert, the composer still had hearing in his left ear until shortly before his death in 1827.



“This is going to send everybody scurrying to revise biographical concepts about Beethoven,” Theodore Albrecht, professor of musicology at Kent State University, Ohio, told the Observer. Albrecht, who has uncovered crucial evidence in contemporary accounts, believes that although Beethoven suffered severe deterioration in his hearing, he did not lose it “to the very profound depths” that musicologists have assumed.

“Not only was Beethoven not completely deaf at the premiere of his Ninth Symphony in May 1824, he could hear, although increasingly faintly, for at least two years afterwards, probably through the last premiere that he would supervise, his String Quartet in B-flat, Op 130, in March 1826,” Albrecht said.

Beethoven began to lose his hearing in 1798. “If I belonged to any other profession, it would be easier,” he told a friend, “but in my profession it is a frightful state.” Between 1812 and 1816, he tried ear trumpets, with little success. From 1818, he carried blank “conversation books”, in which friends and acquaintances jotted down comments, to which he would reply aloud...

More, https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/feb/01/beethoven-not-completely-deaf-says-musicologist

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven

- Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in Films: 'The Fall,' 'The King's Speech, 'Immortal Beloved,' 'Lola.'

[pangaia]

1. That he was not totally deaf has been pretty common knowledge for, well 5 decades for me.

And just as an aside, i get to play symphonies 1, 2, 5,7,8,9 plus Coriolan Overture, 4th Piano Concerto, and the Mass In C this spring and summer.

Beethoven should have more such birthdays. 😁.

And just as icing on the cake,, Berlioz Symphony Fantastique, Tchaikovsky 5 and 6 and Mahler 2 and 3.

Retirement couldn't be better.

😍

[appalachiablue]

2. I'm looking forward to learning what Ludwig & friends were

discussing in his later years, 1818-1827 based on publication of the materials.

Aren't you lucky.

> Albrecht is now editing the “conversation book” accounts and translating them from German into English for the first time, a mammoth publishing project that will eventually comprise 12 volumes.

British company Boydell & Brewer will publish volume 3 of Beethoven’s Conversation Books in May (£45), following the publication of some of the new research in an article entitled “The Hearing Beethoven”, in The Beethoven Journal this month and (in German) by the Vienna Oboe Journal in March.

[sprinkleeninow]

4. Oh, that is right! You play. 💓

[appalachiablue]

3. 'Immortal Beloved' based on Beethoven's life and true love.

Trailer. Gary Oldman, Jeroen Krabbe, Isabella Rossellini and Valeria Golino star in IMMORTAL BELOVED, a mesmerizing mystery based on the tumultuous real life of Ludwig van Beethoven. Oldman gives a tour de force performance as the passionate, volatile genius who inspired love and hatred in equal measure.

Whether seducing regal followers or criticizing the ruling class, Beethoven made many enemies. But he also had one true love, the unnamed "Immortal Beloved" mentioned in an enigmatic letter discovered upon his death. The thrilling search for the identity of this mystery woman leads us into Beethoven'sdark past, his hidden passions, and, ultimately, into the unparalleled genius of his music. (1994). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110116/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immortal_Beloved_(1994_film)