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Beethoven composed his Ninth Symphony after he had gone completely deaf.

He could no longer hear the orchestra play his own music - but he wrote one of the most famous melodies in history anyway.

2 min read
Beethoven composed his Ninth Symphony after he had gone completely deaf.
THE FULL STORY

Ludwig van Beethoven was already one of the most famous composers in Europe when, in his late 20s, his hearing began to fade. He could still play and conduct, but more and more sounds slipped away. By his 40s he was almost completely deaf - a nightmare for any musician.

Instead of giving up, he changed how he worked. He used special notebooks where friends and visitors wrote down what they were saying. He clamped a wooden rod between his teeth and pressed it against the piano to feel the vibrations as he composed.

In 1824, completely deaf, Beethoven debuted his Ninth Symphony - including the soaring “Ode to Joy” melody now used as the European Union’s anthem. Standing on stage as the orchestra finished, he couldn’t hear the cheers behind him. A singer gently turned him around so he could see the audience on its feet.

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