Where words fail, music speaks
Wouldn’t it be most unfortunate if a musician couldn’t hear his own compositions? Music prodigy and composer Ludwig van Beethoven’s life depicted this cruel irony of nature. The faculty of hearing is a musician’s sword. Tragically, a debilitating case of tinnitus turned Beethoven deaf. His struggle with deafness is as well-known as his Heroic Symphony. Not being able to derive inspiration from other composers’ work, not being able to express his thoughts, fears and hopes, and the struggle to cope with the monstrosity of his condition and its impact on his life’s purpose pushed him to contemplate suicide.
However, what made Beethoven extraordinary, apart from his innate virtuosity, was his tenacity and spirit to survive such an extremity. With sheer perseverance, he turned an utter adversity into the greatest advantage. Because he couldn’t hear his contemporaries, he went on to create the most unaffected, original work.
On this note, it’s worth recalling a popular anecdote: By the time Beethoven performed the debut of one of his greatest works–Symphony 9, he was completely deaf. When the performance was over, Beethoven received a thunderous applause from the audience which he was unaware of. The soloist had to prompt him to turn to the audience, creating one of the most moving moments in the history of music.
Such stories of extraordinary inner strength have created history. Men and women with mighty hearts and lofty spirits have cast their imprints on untrodden paths and left us a legacy that shines on as generations have come and gone and aeons have passed us by.