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By Humanities and Aesthetics Branch, Curriculum Planning and
Development Division |
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He entered his 30s, an accomplished musician. Then the unexpected
struck… deafness loomed. It was to be Beethoven's lot until
his death. Yet life’s vicissitudes brought out only the depth
and strength of the human spirit from him. One of the most famous
composers in the world, Beethoven is much celebrated —
his music is played in concert halls, practised by aspiring
musicians and listened to even by laymen.
Born in Germany in 1770, Beethoven was a child prodigy in music.
Unfortunately, he was abused by his drunken father, who would
regularly beat him into playing for the public. These experiences
would have turned off any child musician. However, through this
crucible of fire, Beethoven developed a sensitivity to and a
vision for music. By the age of 10, he composed his first work.
Beethoven continued to compose music in his 20s, making friends
with influential patrons who supported his music.
Tragically, when he was in his 30s, Beethoven discovered that
he was losing his hearing. He avoided friends to hide his growing
handicap, his outlook in life was affected adversely, and he
soon grew depressed. Beethoven may have contemplated suicide,
but his persistent nature and strength now became the driving
force that led him out of depression during his darkest times.
While his career as a virtuoso pianist had to come to an end,
he turned to composition.
Beethoven saw his deafness as a battle to be overcome. His works
that poured out, like the Eroica Symphony, broke new barriers
in symphonic composition. The most monumental work of his period,
the 9th Symphony (Choral) with the famous Ode
to Joy, was completed in 1823, by which time Beethoven had
lost his hearing completely.
What stood Beethoven apart from other child prodigies was his
encounter with deafness, which would spell doom for any musician
or composer. Beethoven’s determination and strength of human
spirit in overcoming the odds are admirable. Ironically, he
had emerged from his darkest hours to create some of the greatest
and most powerful musical pieces that would move listeners for
generations to come.
What pushes a person with difficulties in life is the belief
and vision of greater things that have yet to be done, and to
be resilient against all odds. Half the battle is won when one
is determined.
In years to come, Beethoven will always be remembered as the
composer, who not only produced music that became immortalised,
but who also had the courage to go beyond the silence…and triumphed
against all odds.
| Some of Beethoven’s innovative contributions:
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His music was harmonically more developmental
and went into more complex-sounding keys, unheard
of at that time. |
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His works were considerably longer than Mozart’s
or Haydn’s. The first movement of the Eroica Symphony
is as long as an entire typical Italian-style Mozart
symphony from the 1770s! |
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He paved the way for orchestras to be much bigger,
giving his music a heavier, darker tone than Haydn’s
or Mozart’s. |
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Instead of being a servant of rich patrons, Beethoven
broke free from it and stood out as an artiste in
his own right, an icon for later Romantic composers
like Liszt and Wagner. |
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Beethoven was acutely interested in the development
of the piano in Vienna and London, and helped pave
the way for the modern concert grand piano. |
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