Ludwig Van Beethoven
Joe F. Rosales
Music 100, Music Appreciation
Instructor: Anita M. Hanawalt, Ph.D.
October 19, 2014

Ludwig Van Beethoven
Ludwig Van Beethoven, one of the greatest pianist and composer, was born on or about, December 16, 1770. His place of birth was the city of Bonn in the Electorate of Cologne, in the principality of the Holy Roman Empire. His exact date of birth is uncertain, but Beethoven was baptized on December 17, 1770. As per legal requirements and custom at that time, he was more than likely born on the 16th of December. Beethoven was an innovator, broadening the possibilities of sonata, concerto, symphony and quartet. He also combined vocals and instruments in a novel fashion. Ludwig Van Beethoven passed away in 1827.
Following his burial, scientists began speculating to the cause of his deafness and eventually his death. Along with his hearing problem, Beethoven often complained about other ailments such as intestinal pain, digestion problems, colic, upper pulmonary infections, foul body odors and bad breath. “His last years were so miserable,” said Susan Kagan, a pianist, Beethoven scholar and professor emeritus at Hunter College in New York. “He suffered physically so very much. There’s one cry of pain after another in his letters. I don’t know if he was mistreated by doctors, but they didn’t know very much in those days, compared to what they know now. Pouring hot oil into his ears: can you imagine what that must have felt like?” The early theories for his ailments, deafness and eventually death ranged from typhus, syphilis, and severe lead poisoning. The doctors of our time maintain that it might have been coronary disease or perhaps lupus. His health issues and cause of death remains a mystery (Barron, 2010).
In 1994, a lock of Beethoven’s hair, known as the Guevara Lock, was auctioned at Sotheby’s of London. Ferdinand Hiller, a German music student who later became a well-known conductor, snipped the strands of hair from Beethoven’s head on the day after his death. A battery of laboratory tests of the hair samples revealed a concentration of lead one-hundred fold of that found in today’s general population. In Beethoven’s day, lead was found in everything from china, plumbing, and even as a cheap wine sweetener (“No Musician, But What a Collector,” 2006).
In 2005, tests on a different hair sample and a tiny piece of his skull, again pointed to lead poisoning. In 2010, a lead-poisoning expert at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, conducted a third examination. Dr. Andrew C. Todd, the researcher, said that the levels of lead were within the normal range. “Beethoven didn’t have long-term high lead exposure,” Dr. Todd said, “so I think we can stop looking at lead as being a major factor in his life.” What caused his death is still undetermined. Although the causes of his deafness, illness, and eventually his death remain a mystery. What is factual is Beethoven’s accomplishments during his lifetime. For practical purposes, scholars split Beethoven’s music career into three periods. The sequence of these periods highlights the fact that his hearing is declining, and his choice of notes reflect the changes in his hearing acuity (Barron, 2010).
The Early Period stretches from his birth in 1770 to approximately 1803. During this period, he studied composition from the likes of Christian Gottlob Neefe. He studied Mozart, Bach and other illustrious composers. In this period, Beethoven had composed several of his works and had begun publishing his compositions. By 1795, Beethoven had performed in Vienna and had commenced a reputation as a pianist with Piano Concerto #1and Piano Concerto #2. During this period, his hearing was intact, and the use of higher notes was typical.
The Middle Period covers the approximate time that Beethoven’s hearing starts to diminish, around 1801 and terminates at his total deafness prior to the 1820s. This period is characterized by lower notes, with