By 30 years old, he had become one of the most recognized musicians since Mozart. He had composed a couple of piano concertos, string quartets, and even his first symphony.
By the time he was 44, Beethoven was completely deaf. Although the exact cause of why he went deaf is unknown, he had started struggling with it since he was around 26. He tried several different methods to help cure his deafness, thinking it was due to gastrointestinal issues. Some made it worse, while most did nothing at all. Yet he didn’t give up his career even though it ALL depended on his ability to hear.
While his music had once used more higher frequency notes, he adapted to make sure he could still do what he loved. Because it was a gradual deafness, he was able to use his imagination and memory of what the notes sounded like to keep composing. He would use a pencil to help feel the vibration of the piano and started using lower notes so he could ‘hear’ them.
Although it is said that he ruined many pianos banging on them so he could hear, he lived a life continuing to do what he loved. He wrote Moonlight Sonata along with six symphonies after he was completely deaf. He continued to play piano until he died. He would still conduct and followed his dream of being a musician.
While I wish I could’ve been alive during this time to see a man overcome something that should’ve completely ruined him, I love listening to the music and studying on it. We face struggles daily. Our lives are never truly perfect. Some have to deal with hardship and loss while others have to deal with sickness or addiction. But Beethoven’s story, his life, is an amazing reminder of what we are capable of doing. There are people living on this planet that don’t have limbs and still make the most of life. There are people who have beaten cancer that get to be a light to others. Beethoven could’ve given up at 26 when he started noticing that something was wrong. He could’ve given up at 44 when he could no longer hear. He could’ve given up when people around him lost faith and would criticize him, but he didn’t.
I strive to be like Beethoven. I hope that when I am faced with hardship and the struggles of life that I’m able to look them in the face and laugh. I hope that I’m able to remind myself that life is more than the struggles I face.
While it’s easier to focus on the bad rather than the good at times, I challenge you to focus on the good. Make a list if you want to. But remind yourself of all of the good that you have in your life and the things that you’ve accomplished so when the bad comes knocking on your door, you can have the strength to fight it.
Be a Beethoven. Believe you can achieve what you want, fight for it, and it’ll happen.
❤
The Learning Gyppie 