Not letting a disability disable
Beethoven is considered as one of the greatest and most important figures in Western music history. His name is known by anyone, from the musicology professionals down to the average third grader. From all of Beethovens life and work his legacy is most often characterized by two things, his world renounced Symphonies and his deafness.
Beethoven started becoming deaf at the age of 28 and by age 45 he was completely deaf. The root cause of this is still debated by experts, but despite this disability Beethoven was still able to compose pieces, including one of his most famous one, his Symphony №9, which he composed at age 52 well after being completely stripped from his hearing.
Before releasing his ninth symphony people were worried that his new work would not be good due to his disability, as was stated in the document below. They thought since he could not hear he definitely could not produce music that would be pleasant to those that can hear. Despite of the public skepticism Beethoven created one of the most important pieces of music in history.
Another prominent figure in the world of the deaf was Helen Keller, who also did not let disabilities stop her from achieving great things. Keller was both blind and deaf, but with the help of her life long teacher Anne Sullivan was able to communicate using various hand touching patterns. Using these techniques Keller accomplished goals including obtaining a bachelors degree and being a prominent political figure with her many speeches and books.
Helen Keller was also able to appreciate the music that was created by Beethoven, specifically his ninth symphony. In a letter from Keller published in the New York Times on February 10, 1924, she depicts her “listening” to the symphony on the radio when the New York Symphony Orchestra were performing the piece. She did this by placing her hand on the speaker of the radio and feeling the vibrations that were created by the music.
Helen Keller describes the different parts of the piece including the violins, bass, and vocals, since she could distinguish them by the type of vibrations. She also describes the different times where the piece is homophonic with the violins and violas harmonizing, and when the piece is more polyphonic with the bass tones and voices playing together. She even was able to distinguish when the chorus was being played and how the voices that were singing were of women. This is incredible sensitivity tot touch that only Keller could sense due to her lack of the other senses.
This is sort of the same technique that experts think Beethoven used to compose his 9th Symphony while deaf. Along with the “inner ear” that he developed throughout his life, Beethoven was also known for using his body to feel the music and its vibrations. He would put his teeth on his piano or try to get as close as possible to feel the motions the sound would make, according to this article.
It is interesting to see these two figures collide especially since they both have a disability but still became such prominent figures in the both their sectors. Their work became inspiration for the whole world, but specifically for people that suffer from the same conditions they do. They are evidence that just because someone has a disability, that does not limit them to what they can achieve. Even though they could not appreciate the applause from their admirers, Beethoven at his 9th symphony premier and Keller at her many public speeches, the mark they left on the world will forever be ringing throughout history.
