Beethoven image borrowed from Wikipedia
Ludwig van Beethoven was born on this day in 1760. After you read this post, go here to learn the life and times of the man. The one excerpt of the Wikipedia article that I wish to call out tells about the constant ringing in his ears and eventual hearing loss:
As early as 1801, Beethoven wrote to friends describing his symptoms and the difficulties they caused in both professional and social settings (although it is likely some of his close friends were already aware of the problems).[50] Beethoven, on the advice of his doctor, lived in the small Austrian town of Heiligenstadt, just outside Vienna, from April to October 1802 in an attempt to come to terms with his condition. There he wrote his Heiligenstadt Testament, which records his resolution to continue living for and through his art.[51] Over time, his hearing loss became profound: there is a well-attested story that, at the end of the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, he had to be turned around to see the tumultuous applause of the audience; hearing nothing, he wept.[52] Beethoven’s hearing loss did not prevent his composing music, but it made playing at concerts—lucrative sources of income—increasingly difficult. After a failed attempt in 1811 to perform his own Piano Concerto No. 5 (the “Emperor”), he never performed in public again.
I went to Benaroya Hall last night to hear three chamber music selections composed by Beethoven. A personal aside – I didn’t go just to celebrate Beethoven’s birthday, I actually bought two tickets last week to force myself to find a date. I won’t keep you in suspense…the woman I asked declined but the good news is that I didn’t go alone.
If you haven’t been to Benaroya Hall, even the Recital Hall as I did last night, I would say an event like this one was easily worth the $19 per ticket. Oh, to see the violin lead the other musicians the way a conductor would. Periodically, the second violin would peek over when it was her time to jump back in with the first violin. To watch their heads jerk and their torsoes dip in anticipation of a strong upward stroke of the bow. The swings of tempo and varying strengths of the notes purposefully grab you and take you for a joyous ride.
I remember being taught as a child that there is no difference between the violinist and the violin: when the note is strong, the body is positioned as such; when the mood is like a summer breeze, the musician is a willow tree that gives himself to the wind.
There is no sound I have ever experienced like a stringed instrument. And when I am privileged enought to witness three, four, or five on stage with a clarinet, bassoon, and horn, that makes me smile and I am truly happy. From the first note, I was smitten. The symphony and I will meet again soon.
