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Ludwig Van Beethoven : An Impact On Music

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Ludwig Van Beethoven No other composer or musical artist has made as big of an impact on music as Ludwig Van Beethoven. He influenced many other composers, and made some of the most beautiful pieces that are still played today. It is truly amazing that he was able to master his craft and become questionably the greatest composer that has ever lived, despite having a condition that would seem to make composing music impossible. Beethoven, being born so long ago, does not have an exact recorded birthdate. It is believed that he was born December 16th 1770, because he was baptized in the catholic church on December 17th 1770 and the catholic church generally baptizes babies a day after they are born (cmuse.org 1). Beethoven was not the …show more content…

Beethoven’s hearing was getting so bad, he could not hear orchestras in theaters unless he was sitting really close, he struggled with hearing the voices of singers, and he had difficulty hearing the high notes (50). Away from music, Beethoven struggled with hearing people that spoke in low tones and people that spoke very softly (50). Beethoven did not want the word to get out that he was losing his hearing, he believed his music career would be tainted if people knew about his hearing condition. Beethoven was able to hear some music and speech up to about 1812, but at the age of 44 Beethoven had little to no hearing, he could not hear speech or music (51).
The main cause of Beethoven’s ultimate loss of hearing is not exactly known. There are many reasons he could have gone deaf. Some believe it was a fall that he suffered that made him unable to hear (52). Others believe it was syphilis that took his hearing, Beethoven himself believed it could have been gastrointestinal problems (52). Other theories believe he could have lost his hearing due to lead poisoning or the constant plunging of his head in very cold water to try to keep himself awake or typhus (52). After Beethoven's death an autopsy performed on him revealed that his inner ear was swollen, due to pressure from inside, and there was a region of damaged tissue that could have been

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