RE: Beethoven: Deafness and Thoughts of Death // Taubheit und Todesgedanken
Dear Anna,
I think the miracle of Beethoven's accomplishment for many of us was his ability to produce great music without "hearing" it. Your article has particular interest for me because my mother had difficulty hearing, which resulted from a double mastoid operation performed in her early twenties. By the end of her life my mother was deaf.
It seems that modern science has not been able to figure out the cause of Beethoven's deafness (of course, I was curious to know why). How did he manage to produce such great pieces? One expert suggests he actually retained some hearing in his left ear late in life. Whatever the state of his hearing, for me Beethoven has always served as a model of determination. When we think we have insurmountable obstacles we can choose to submit or press on and try.
Thank you for this moving piece. You can see it struck me particularly. So nice to read your pieces again.
Stay well,
From beleaguered New York,
Warm regards,
AG
Dear AG,
I'm sorry that your mother had to suffer the fate of deafness in her old age. it was certainly not easy for the whole family to deal with this situation.
Thank you for drawing my attention to this interesting article. If the assumption is correct, then the history books have to be rewritten. It would have been granted to the brilliant musician, if he could have heard the performance of his last epochal works.
When fate challenges us, we always have the choice: to resist or to accept. If you decide for the latter and accept what is right now, you have all the energy available to take the best next step.
I hope you and everyone close to you are doing well.
Times will change, until then stay healthy!
Warm regards from midnight Vienna,
Anna
Hello Anna from midnight Vienna :)
Thanks for those kind words, but it was never hard for us. My mom was very religious and accepted her situation with grace. We, as children, on the other hand, learned to speak clearly and to project our voices. I even had a teacher who suggested I take up public speaking professionally :))
Be well, and peaceful, Anna. Looking forward to more informative blogs.
From slowly healing but peaceful New York,
Warm regards,
AG
🌷🌷🌷