Beethoven's Road to Perseverance
By: Don Lazatin
The Deaf, Successful Musician
In 1798, Beethoven began to notice that he occasionally became hard of hearing. After five years, in 1803, Beethoven approached complete deafness. To help with his adversity he continued to compose music and conduct an orchestra which made him happy. Another technique he used to overcome his hearing disability was to feel the vibrations on the piano. He worked alone, naked to help him focus more. He sometimes got combative and aggressive when he was trying to focus. Another answer to how he got a lot of achievement in his life was he had four specialized pianos, without legs, at his house so he could feel the vibrations better. Finally, the most important solution was he made himself happy.
Painting of Beethoven at Work
Beethoven Working on Piano Sonata No. 8
Beethoven as a Child
Adversities Lead to Fame and Success
Beethoven’s problems and adversities in his life that made him famous or he had in life consist of his father dying when Beethoven was only 22. Another example would be his mother and baby sister dying when he was only 17. Most importantly he became hard of hearing in 1798. This event is what made him famous the most. Think about it. A deaf man making music, not knowing what his own music sounds like. He had to muster up his abilities to write music. Like feeling vibrations and being more focused so he will become successful. Beethoven had many more adversities during his lifetime. Such as his brother dying in 1815. Another one would be his nephew trying to commit suicide after he failed two college exams. What made it worse was that he blame it on his uncle for trying to commit suicide. Finally, he got pneumonia which will cause his death at the age of 56.
Beethoven's Time Periods
Cited Sources
Content
"Ludwig van Beethoven." UXL Biographies. Detroit: UXL, 2011. Research in Context. Web. 19 May 2016.
http://www.artsalive.ca/en/mus/greatcomposers/beethoven.asp
Pictures
http://piano4life.com/C_Beethoven.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiVVZZiu_20