He should be remembered not just as a composer, but also as an entrepreneur. He basically broke with the old model of artists being supported by a wealthy benefactor, like a king and invented the idea of marketing his own celebrity and commercialized music.
I don't think people fully realise the immensity of Beethoven's capability and how astonishing his achievements. To write something so lucid and magnanimous as the 9th Symphony, not to forget his late piano sonatas and string quartets. It wasn't that he could just write good music, but rather the level of genius with which he did; and being deprived of the very sense for he was writing taboot. Beethoven's story and achievements to my mind are, quite possibly, not only the greatest in the musical history book, but one of the very greatest in the human history book.
I doubt many if anyone underrates his achievements, or would attempt to belittle them in any way. After all, around the world to this day we still know his name, we still perform his many works and composers still look to him and his contemporaries for guidance and inspiration. But the great question still remains, how would his compositions have developed had he not lost his hearing? Would they have continued to amaze and impress us in the same style as his first period or would they have naturally evolved as they did? Or perhaps even evolved into a much higher plane then anything he gifted us with during his life.
@@sparkplug1018 well I feel like it couldnt have been as amazing cause we wouldnt have had the 9th symphony which is his most known work even if you've never heard the name Beethoven you've heard the 9th symphony
@@cameronvandygriff7048 Thats very posible. Its also possible his works would have evolved into an entirely different plane that we can't even imagine. Kind of an interesting thought really.
I was in Vienna and told the guide I loved Beethoven so we went through some narrow streets to an old wooden gate. He said, “Touch this.” So I did. He said it was the gate that Beethoven used to get to his apartment. I geeked out.
In a community orchestra I played the 3rd trombone part. To be at the back of the orchestra and in front of the chorus and with my ears being totally surrounded by the most beautiful music ever written is indescribable.
I used to be deaf when I was younger (it took several years and multiple surgeries to fix). Music was one of the few things that I *could* hear...through vibrations-either from holding a music box against my cheekbone or basically doing the same thing to a stereo speaker.
Beethovan cut legs off his piano. Could hear through vibrations. My aunt was deaf, she e joyed when I played piano. She held her hand on Iano, felt vibration, was very happy.
Joseph Izzo hmm. I’ve heard something similar but I can’t name the source so you might be right. I do know that when working with a quartet he would feel the floor vibrations to tell if they keeping proper time. When they lost time he would smack things with his cane & Occasionally the musicians.
Erin Murphy ~ it’s true he would go by feel at times. But as far as sawing legs off piano to feel vibration, nah. Plus, people don’t realize, he understood music and the rules behind it. He knew the sounds. He (and many other ‘greats’) wrote the pieces based on the rules of writing and knew what it would sound like before performing it.
I'm glad you could share that with your aunt. 🙂 I had a friend that would sit on\ touch the speakers at music concerts in order to join in on the fun. But she could also feel other vibrations, like through the floor.
It’s hard to believe one of the greatest compositions of all time was composed by a deaf person . I give him credit for pressing on in the face of great adversity
As an avid classical music fan, Beethoven has always been my favorite composer. And the 9th is my favorite composition of all time. It saddens me that it could only be brought about by the suffering of such a genius.
It's amazing to think that Beethoven genuinely couldn't keep time. I think it's even likely that he never could and was playing or conducting by ear. The conductor is the timepiece of the music, and if keeping time was a skill he possessed his deafness would not have mattered. It makes everything he did more impressive, not less.
11:54 FINALLY! Proof that the word sluice EXIST. I had been made fun of since I was young for using the word, a word my Grandfather often used to to describe sewage pipes or drainage pipes that seems to have gone the way of the dodo! This is the first time I have ever seen it spelt and used in context! It is silly that this is the most exciting part of the video for me.
Thank you for still uploading content during these times. I've always loved watching your videos and right now you're really helping the time go by. Stay safe, everyone.
Anybody interested in Classical Music *must* find a book entitled, “Lexicon of Musical Invective,” by Nicklaus Slonimsky (IIRC). Despite the title, it is *hilarious* : It’s a ... Lexicon - a collection ... of contemporary scathing reviews of what are now regarded as extraordinary works of musical art!
Beethoven is by far my favorite composer, followed closely by Rachnaninoff. Both composers have written monumental pieces that could not possibly have come from mere mortals...
@@SuperTicklemonsters sorry for you maybe you can get one of those new fangled ear horns they call hearing aids. If not at least you can live online in a world of text and closed captioning.
Something that always struck a painful chord about beethoven, when I think about him, is the extent of suffering he inevitably endured due to his condition. I like to think myself an artist. I certainly do try my best, albeit greatness is still very, very far from my reach. My "art" is inconsequential, unknown, and flawed in countless ways, yet the thought of possibly losing my hand, or my eyesight, terrifies me. Something that is so intrinsic to my identity being taken awaw in such irreparable, irreplaceable manner is a nightnarish thought to ponder on. Listening to Beethoven's work is equal parts a jubilous celebration of the man's genius and a painful, subtke understanding that if ever an artist suffered, Beethoven was that artist; from being propped up by a father that physically hurt him if he dared play a wrong note, to end up a master of his craft, yet in cruel irony unable to appreciate his own work. While many would envy beethoven, i think we in many ways can claim to at least be fortunate enough to hear his masterpieces, sonething the author himself could never claim. Just how screwed up is that...? I intended to have my grad film animation be themed around beethoven's deafness, albeit i soon realized that such a story would be spoiled by my current lack of skill, being a topic more deserving of a master, as it indeed concerns the life of a master, and any less would be disrespectful to his legacy. Perhaps one day.
I am one of the few fans of "Immortal Beloved" from '95. I hate Hollywood and actors in general, having met many when in CA, that when he accepted the Oscar for Darkest Hour I became a fan of his. His love for the US was refreshing to hear.
You do know that Google exists, right? "Bob's your uncle" is a phrase commonly used in United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries that means "and there it is" or "and there you have it." Typically, someone says it to conclude a set of simple instructions or when a result is reached. The meaning is similar to that of the French expression "et voilà!" or the American "easy as pie" or "piece of cake". Origin Robert "Bob" Cecil The origins are uncertain, but a common theory is that the expression arose after Conservative Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury ("Bob") appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1887, an act of nepotism which was apparently both surprising and unpopular. Whatever other qualifications Balfour might have had, "Bob's your uncle" was seen as the conclusive one. I'm actually more curious as to why "piece of cake" is an expression now. Edit: It turns out "piece of cake" comes from the term "a cakewalk" which comes from the fact that cakes were often prizes for things in the 1800s.
There was a fascinating TV movie made in the early 90s called Beethoven Lives Upstairs. It's about a boy who's parents rent out their attic to Beethoven while he's composing his 9th symphony
inasmuch as i love the movie Immortal Beloved with Gary Oldman, i found it very disconcerting the movie found it necessary to blame Beethoven's father for his deafness by having the father smack Beethoven the child repeatedly on the ear... This made absolutely no sense b/c the beating only occurred on one ear and Beethoven was obviously deaf in both! so glad Simon and crew never brought this egregious lamebrain idea up! another job well done, Simon!
It's really sad that so many people from the past were so brilliant and beautiful in their craft while they were alive, yet never truly reaped the benefits. I would venture to guess though that even the most tortured of souls among them like Van Gogh, still lived and loved their lives immensely at times. What is truly disgusting though are all of the people nowadays who profit off of their work without having done a damn thing.
To suggest that no one should make derivative works from these artists works is what would truly make them angry and depressed. The idea that in the future no one would feel free to perform and improve on them means their true death. If asked before his death if he thought that 200+ years down the road people would not only continue to enjoy, but make derivative works from these pieces, I think he truly would have answered yes. And encouraged it.
Neither of you made any sense, or said anything that has to do with my comment. I said that people should not profit off of their works after their deaths. I said nothing about derivatives or whatever the hell you are talking about. FYI, you should know the definition of a word before you say it so many times. Derivative (Google it and read the Entire definition). So no, I don't thin that these Masters of their professions would appreciate this very much, but again Not what I said, Not even close.
Your point is bizarre. You are suggesting that after a composer dies all his music should be entombed and no one should play it or be inspired by it? As a musician, I can think of nothing worse. He's dead, he doesn't care if someone profits from his work, because he is dead. If he could have an opinion, why should you think it would be anything other than relief that someone else does not have to face financial ruin as he himself did? I imagine his pride would be rewarded to know that his work has grown and withstood the test of time, not falling into obscurity with the majority of things he would recognize. Music is not like a painting, it cannot live behind glass, it cannot inspire without being heard. Why should the people who keep it alive do so out of pure charity? Should professional musicians and conductors and concert halls not exist if they cannot compose their own music? The dissemination of music is as valid a work as it's creation. Musicians and their cohort are not thieves. If they know where their inspiration come from they will say so. If they borrow from one another intentionally, they will credit it. I suppose I should concede that record labels can be quite greedy and predatory, but they have little to do with classical music. And on the note of modern contrivances: works predating 1900 are not copywrite and therefor no one collects royalties on the use of Beethoven's work, the work of his contemporaries, or their predecessors.
Difficult to imagine the greatest musician in history composing the 9th, the hammerklavier, and the late string quartets until you imagine Michelangelo painting the Last Judgement while blind. Ludwig Van is the most extraordinary musical genius in history not only for the greatness of his music but the fact he composed it without that faculty that should be more perfect in a musician than any other human being.
He undoubtedly possessed a talent that few are blessed with. The same way some chess players can play an entire game blindfolded, and recall all of the moves made in games others played. Similarly I believe that even though he couldn't hear the notes played, he knew what they should sound like in his mind.
I'm a composer myself, and I've had tinnitus for a decade or more now. It's steadily getting worse, and I think I'm going to be completely deaf in at least one ear before I'm 50. Unfortunately, I'm nowhere near known, never mind famous, so it looks like I just inherited an ill-combined series of genes and traits.
Relative pitch and pitch memory, combined with a good handle on transcription skills could get you a long way. I believe this had a great deal to do with Beethoven doing so well after his hearing loss.
So sorry about this. i can’t imagine how frustrating it must be. I wonder if Beethoven’s personal story is more inspiring or daunting? Either way, keep at it, as long as this remains your dream.
@@MendTheWorld I'd say it's a bit of both. I'm no prodigy the way Mozart and Beethoven were, so it can be daunting in the sense that it means more work for me in all aspects. But it's still inspiring that a man who couldn't hear at all, nor keep accurate time on top of that, could still compose such a beautiful piece of music that's over an hour in length. It shows that *knowing* is as important, if not more so, than being able to hear what you're writing.
The most annoying part of the tinnitus at this stage is trying to fall asleep, or when I blow my ear out listening to something too loud (which I can't know is too loud until it happens). But trying to sleep with that _eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee_ is awful. Actually, so far it's been helpful with relative pitch because it's a perfect c, so it's more like a constant _cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc_
7:22 Just a few of my favorite excerpts from reviews of the Ninth Symphony: 1) We find Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to be precisely one hour and five minutes long; a fearful period indeed, which puts the muscles and lungs of the band, and the patience of the audience to severe trial. . . The last movement, a chorus, is heterogeneous. What relation it bears to the symphony we could not make out; and here, as well as in other parts, the want of intelligible design is too apparent. (The Harmonicon, London, April 1825) 2) If the best critics and orchestras have failed to find the meaning of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, we may well be pardoned if we confess out inability to find any. . . We can sincerely say that rather than study this last work for beauties which do not exist, we had far rather hear the others where beauties are plain. (Daily Atlas, Boston, February 6, 1853) 3) The whole orchestral part of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony I found very wearying indeed. Several times I had great difficulty in keeping awake. . . It was a great relief when the choral part was arrived at, of which I had great expectations. It opened with eight bars of a commonplace theme, very much like Yankee Doodle. . . ad nausium (Quoted from a Providence, R.I., newspaper in "The Orchestra," London, June 20, 1868) There are many more.
Hm, based on the reviews it seems being open to interpretation to such a point no conclusion could be made regardless of it was an active descision made for the piece was what people did not like. I guess music just had to relate to something
Going deaf is horrible for anyone but for this musical genius it must've been devastating. The fact that he produced a masterpiece deaf just blows my crust off! Imagine the same thing happening to say Da Vinci or Michelangelo going blind half way through thier careers?
Can you do an episode on where the phrase "cats pajamas" came from? Or "that's the Bee's Knees". That would really be the cats pajamas if you did!! Thank you for your consideration.
@@best_bud1 5-0 originated with the original run of the show Hawaii 5-0. 5-0 was just a reference to Hawaii being the 50th state, but because it's a cop show, it became synonymous with cops. The Fuzz comes from derogatory slang in the 60s and 70s. What I've found says it started in England because cop hats were covered in felt. While on the topic, you may know that the term cops comes from coppers... some believe this stems from police uniforms having copper buttons, but it appears to stem from the verb "to cop" meaning "to arrest." So, coppers were people who copped. Also, Google is your friend. It took me less than 10 minutes to teach myself all this.
@@molly.dog8brooke792 there is most definitely old "jive" talk where they would say phrases such as, "That sure is the cats pajamas!" or "That is the Bee's knees".
I noticed from the accounts in this video that Beethoven was able to communicate with others after his deafness (such as the meal where he was angry about the pay from his 9th). I was curious about how he did this...Was sign language a thing back then? Did he read lips?
When I was a kid, I went to this one daycare center where one of the staff members told me Beethoven was born deaf. I told her that he didn't go deaf until well into adulthood, and she said: "okay maybe he went deaf at about age 2 or 3".
Beethoven also studied with Haydn (he originally was going to study with Mozart in Vienna, but he had died in 1791), along with seeking personal coaching with Salieri and Albrechtsberger.
I always find it interesting and puzzling that many of the truly great artist of the world almost always seems to have some kind of tragic occurrence or some other kind of quirk in their personality, perhaps that is what drives them on to greatness ?
3:26 in case you were wondering: He is saying Theater am Kärntnertor ("Theater at the Carinthian Gate"), actually pronounced like "TAY-ah-tah umm CAREn't-nah-TORE".
Clears up alot of confusion that I had previously heard to be wrong, thought he was deaf as a child... also a good idea to be careful about standing next to speakers, which can eventually lead to a constant annoying high pitch note... and probably a good idea to avoid joining a boy band altogether, lol... always nice to unwind with some youtube videos at lower volume though...
This one is the first Today I Found Out episode that I wept as I watched. There's a reason people of his day (and today) refer to Beethoven as "the Master".
I went completely deaf around 1818 after I completed my "Hammerklavier" sonata. Let's get one thing straight, ok? I wrote more than the C# minor sonata (moonlight, I didn't name it!) and the 9th symphony! Notable works I DID write when I was deaf: Last 5 string quartets, last 5 piano sonatas, Missa Solemnis, Ruins of Athens, the 2 sets of Bagatelles etc. 12:25 yes many conversation books survive and many more would have if ANTON SCHINDLER hadn't destroyed 200 of them!
Who remembers Richard MacKenzie Bacon? Critic from 1825 who so scathingly wrote of Beethoven's 9th: "abounding more in noise, eccentricity and confusion of design." SERIOUSLY?!? Who remembers this guy? Everyone remembers Beethoven.
Moonlight was the joint tho... It's timeless. STILL GREAT TO THIS DAY! Thank God they didn't have no damn hearing aids back then or we wouldn't have that legendary piece!
Ludwig van Beethoven ~ Hold the phone! You look great for your age. But also, that doesn’t fall in line with what you called the Db, which should have been a type of green. Can you clarify. In fact, those with synesthesia had a different color spectrum individually. Bach, Schubert, none of you referred to them in the typical color spectrum the same, despite what was taught, there was no consistency to your references.
The most common stories of the less learned, when speaking of Beethoven, consistently and confidently speak of him as being “born deaf”…just before they offer great acclaim to his musical prowess.
11:21 [Beethoven completes letter to Schindler and looks over it.] Beethoven: "Ja! *_Das_* sollte alles zwischen uns regeln!!" ☺️ (There! *_That_* should patch things up between us!)
I knew of a def piano player, he had this metal bar attached to the piano and would press his jaw against it, later on he got an electric piano and had a speaker put in the bench so he could "hear" the vibrations produced. I was wondering if Beethoven used anything like this.
He wouldn't have access to speakers in his day. That stuff wasn't invented for like another century after his death. He cut the legs off his piano and used the vibrations through the floor though.
I keep reading comments saying that he could hear his piano by biting down on a metal rod, which transferred sound vibrations directly to his inner ear, but I haven't seen anybody mentioning this. Is it true?
Bonus Fact: Beethoven's dad used to wake him in the middle of the night and make him preform piano pieces and best him if he made an error. In spite of this Beethoven didn't loose his love for music and continued to pay after his father had passed.
Johannes Brahms (1896): "I always find Beethoven's C Minor concerto (the Third Piano Concerto) much smaller and weaker than Mozart's. . . . I realize that Beethoven's new personality and his new vision, which people recognized in his works, made him the greater composer in their minds. But after fifty years, our views need more perspective. One must be able to distinguish between the charm that comes from newness and the value that is intrinsic to a work. I admit that Beethoven's concerto is more modern, but not more significant!I also realize that Beethoven's First Symphony made a strong impression on people. That's the nature of a new vision. But the last three Mozart symphonies are far more significant. . . . Yes, the Rasumovsky quartets, the later symphonies-these inhabit a significant new world, one already hinted at in his Second Symphony. But what is much weaker in Beethoven compared to Mozart, and especially compared to Sebastian Bach, is the use of dissonance. Dissonance, true dissonance as Mozart used it, is not to be found in Beethoven. Look at Idomeneo. Not only is it a marvel, but as Mozart was still quite young and brash when he wrote it, it was a completely new thing. What marvelous dissonance! What harmony! You couldn't commission great music from Beethoven since he created only lesser works on commission-his more conventional pieces, his variations and the like. When Haydn or Mozart wrote on commission, it was the same as their other works."
You should do Beethoven in your biographics channel. Or any composer for that matter, I notice that’s one type of historical figure that is not represented on that channel.
twocvbloke id pick my sense of smell if I had to chose which to lose. It seems to be the least important. But than I’d probably die from a gas leak so 🤷🏻♂️
♫ O Freunde, nicht diese Töne! Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen, und freudenvollere. Freude! Freude! ♪ Freude, schöner Götterfunken Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! Deine Zauber binden wieder Was die Mode streng geteilt; Alle Menschen werden Brüder, Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt..........................
what a tragic figgure in history! Just imagine what he could have done if he was not deaf. Some of his later works might not have been the same, but there would have been so much more amazing music. Still, his legacy will live on forever.
Not quite. It was due to his becoming deaf that he began to write more music. He was more of a performer before his hearing went out. So while he would have given many great performances if he had not gone deaf, he would not have written as much music, leaving the world of music all the lesser for it. It's not just that his later works would be different, it's that they most likely would not have existed at all if he had never gone deaf.
What are you talking about? His deafness inspired speed to finish things. He kept writing up until he died. Maybe the music would have been different, but we didn't miss out on any because of this.
When Beethoven was told that he would never make it in the music industry beacause he was deaf, did he listen? No.
funny...
Hahahah love it!!
Well by the time he was deaf he kinda already made it. But yeah lol
hahaha, very clever
Great comment. Im honored to be the man who made your comment reach 200 likes. 😌👍🏻
He should be remembered not just as a composer, but also as an entrepreneur. He basically broke with the old model of artists being supported by a wealthy benefactor, like a king and invented the idea of marketing his own celebrity and commercialized music.
I think by running a ssi scam by pretending he was deaf. Proof when the hooker said 10 or 20 for around the world ole Beethoven pulled out a 20
Ronald Macintyre what
Man was the first twitch streamer lol
I don't think people fully realise the immensity of Beethoven's capability and how astonishing his achievements. To write something so lucid and magnanimous as the 9th Symphony, not to forget his late piano sonatas and string quartets.
It wasn't that he could just write good music, but rather the level of genius with which he did; and being deprived of the very sense for he was writing taboot.
Beethoven's story and achievements to my mind are, quite possibly, not only the greatest in the musical history book, but one of the very greatest in the human history book.
I dont think people underrate him hes been known as one of the greatest composers of all time for about 200 years
I doubt many if anyone underrates his achievements, or would attempt to belittle them in any way. After all, around the world to this day we still know his name, we still perform his many works and composers still look to him and his contemporaries for guidance and inspiration.
But the great question still remains, how would his compositions have developed had he not lost his hearing? Would they have continued to amaze and impress us in the same style as his first period or would they have naturally evolved as they did? Or perhaps even evolved into a much higher plane then anything he gifted us with during his life.
@@sparkplug1018 well I feel like it couldnt have been as amazing cause we wouldnt have had the 9th symphony which is his most known work even if you've never heard the name Beethoven you've heard the 9th symphony
@@cameronvandygriff7048 Thats very posible. Its also possible his works would have evolved into an entirely different plane that we can't even imagine.
Kind of an interesting thought really.
That's what I was gonna say
Everybody gangsta until Beethoven says "I heard that"
*wonders how you seem to be everywhere*
He's magical
*YEAH* 😅😉 👨🏫🗣🎹🎶🧮
Beethoven sang along to the lyrics "I heard it thru the grapevine"
Everyone gangsta until Just Some Guy without a Mustache appears in the comments.
I was in Vienna and told the guide I loved Beethoven so we went through some narrow streets to an old wooden gate. He said, “Touch this.” So I did. He said it was the gate that Beethoven used to get to his apartment. I geeked out.
I almost cried reading this comment alone, i cannot imagine what would i do if i were there. I need to go to Vienna
That is amazing! Happy for you, honestly amazing. 🙏🏼
Omg ! Would love to do that.
@@Jhein I know how that feels my friend 😭
If you yell for him today, he wouldn't answer. But that's ok. If you yelled for him while he was alive, he also wouldn't answer.
I've sung the 9th with a choir, it's absolutely transcendent at parts, more so than just listening to it
In a community orchestra I played the 3rd trombone part. To be at the back of the orchestra and in front of the chorus and with my ears being totally surrounded by the most beautiful music ever written is indescribable.
I used to be deaf when I was younger (it took several years and multiple surgeries to fix). Music was one of the few things that I *could* hear...through vibrations-either from holding a music box against my cheekbone or basically doing the same thing to a stereo speaker.
Very interesting -- could you hear (interpret vibrations as music) or only tact (tempo)
For me it was a different vibration for music than other noises when I used to not hear.( I can now)
So was it like just vibrations or could you somehow actually hear it in your head. I can't begin to imagine really
It's like when you put your hands in water and there's resistance for music. For words I thought in my head what they wer.
Same here
Beethoven: deaf and is known as one of the greatest composers of all time.
Meanwhile society can't do shit without toilet paper.
You should post this on FB...better yet...make. Meme of it....💁
Yeah and look at modern "music"... Humans are fucked
Lol exactly
@@dunxy Yep 😂
What have you done which makes you superior to them?
Beethovan cut legs off his piano. Could hear through vibrations. My aunt was deaf, she e joyed when I played piano. She held her hand on Iano, felt vibration, was very happy.
Lois Walsh ~ actually, that’s not true. Urban legend. Sorry.
Joseph Izzo hmm. I’ve heard something similar but I can’t name the source so you might be right. I do know that when working with a quartet he would feel the floor vibrations to tell if they keeping proper time. When they lost time he would smack things with his cane & Occasionally the musicians.
Erin Murphy ~ it’s true he would go by feel at times. But as far as sawing legs off piano to feel vibration, nah. Plus, people don’t realize, he understood music and the rules behind it. He knew the sounds. He (and many other ‘greats’) wrote the pieces based on the rules of writing and knew what it would sound like before performing it.
I'm glad you could share that with your aunt. 🙂 I had a friend that would sit on\ touch the speakers at music concerts in order to join in on the fun. But she could also feel other vibrations, like through the floor.
Hi. No I never did that. Sorry
Beethoven was talented enough to write masterpieces of classical music whilst deaf. No Question about it
He could could probable look at the notes and knew what they sounded like.
It’s hard to believe one of the greatest compositions of all time was composed by a deaf person . I give him credit for pressing on in the face of great adversity
As an avid classical music fan, Beethoven has always been my favorite composer. And the 9th is my favorite composition of all time. It saddens me that it could only be brought about by the suffering of such a genius.
It's amazing to think that Beethoven genuinely couldn't keep time. I think it's even likely that he never could and was playing or conducting by ear. The conductor is the timepiece of the music, and if keeping time was a skill he possessed his deafness would not have mattered. It makes everything he did more impressive, not less.
11:54 FINALLY! Proof that the word sluice EXIST. I had been made fun of since I was young for using the word, a word my Grandfather often used to to describe sewage pipes or drainage pipes that seems to have gone the way of the dodo! This is the first time I have ever seen it spelt and used in context!
It is silly that this is the most exciting part of the video for me.
Thank you for still uploading content during these times. I've always loved watching your videos and right now you're really helping the time go by.
Stay safe, everyone.
greatest symphonies are written with vibrator
Anybody interested in Classical Music *must* find a book entitled, “Lexicon of Musical Invective,” by Nicklaus Slonimsky (IIRC). Despite the title, it is *hilarious* : It’s a ... Lexicon - a collection ... of contemporary scathing reviews of what are now regarded as extraordinary works of musical art!
Beethoven is by far my favorite composer, followed closely by Rachnaninoff. Both composers have written monumental pieces that could not possibly have come from mere mortals...
I bet he had the greatest time despite his hearing in that last performance. It sounds like it would have been absolutely amazing to witness.
Any musician can tell you... a recital recalled... note for note... is an awesome gift... I expect we all possess...
Imagine losing hearing when your life was music.
So sad
TonyZed68 my music teacher lost half her hearing but she wasn’t nice before she lost her hearing so everyone quit
I don't have to imagine it :(
@@SuperTicklemonsters sorry for you maybe you can get one of those new fangled ear horns they call hearing aids. If not at least you can live online in a world of text and closed captioning.
@@SuperTicklemonsters Oh... :(
Excellent episode. very insightful, and i appreciated the excerpts from Beethoven’s writing.
Wished Simon you had included audio {or video} clips of examples of his work. 😥👨🏫🎹🎶🧮🎭
Rest In Peace Ludwig Van Beethoven 😭 I’ll miss you my angel
I'll miss you too
Another video about stuff I didn't know. Keep it up Simon, you are awesome!
Thanks for putting these diverse stories together
Something that always struck a painful chord about beethoven, when I think about him, is the extent of suffering he inevitably endured due to his condition.
I like to think myself an artist. I certainly do try my best, albeit greatness is still very, very far from my reach. My "art" is inconsequential, unknown, and flawed in countless ways, yet the thought of possibly losing my hand, or my eyesight, terrifies me. Something that is so intrinsic to my identity being taken awaw in such irreparable, irreplaceable manner is a nightnarish thought to ponder on.
Listening to Beethoven's work is equal parts a jubilous celebration of the man's genius and a painful, subtke understanding that if ever an artist suffered, Beethoven was that artist; from being propped up by a father that physically hurt him if he dared play a wrong note, to end up a master of his craft, yet in cruel irony unable to appreciate his own work.
While many would envy beethoven, i think we in many ways can claim to at least be fortunate enough to hear his masterpieces, sonething the author himself could never claim. Just how screwed up is that...?
I intended to have my grad film animation be themed around beethoven's deafness, albeit i soon realized that such a story would be spoiled by my current lack of skill, being a topic more deserving of a master, as it indeed concerns the life of a master, and any less would be disrespectful to his legacy.
Perhaps one day.
The type of genius of which this world will never bare witness to again.
I know I've been watching your stuff for too long when I can't tell if the video is a repost or if I heard it on one of your podcasts.
I am one of the few fans of "Immortal Beloved" from '95. I hate Hollywood and actors in general, having met many when in CA, that when he accepted the Oscar for Darkest Hour I became a fan of his. His love for the US was refreshing to hear.
Nicholas Baum , I saw that movie, and have been wanting to get my husband to watch it with me.
Oldman did a great job, though the story was less than truthful.
Cute movie....about as accurate as a 5 year old playing darts.
I loved his performance in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. That piano solo was amazing.
My favorite Beethoven symphony is the 7th, which I understand was from around the time he went deaf. The opening movement is beautiful, the rest good.
Completed in 1812. My hearing was close to gone, but not fully
Great vid. A suggestion for a future vid. The origins of common sayings such as, "Bob's your uncle".
Bob's your uncle Fanny's your aunt.
You do know that Google exists, right?
"Bob's your uncle" is a phrase commonly used in United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries that means "and there it is" or "and there you have it." Typically, someone says it to conclude a set of simple instructions or when a result is reached. The meaning is similar to that of the French expression "et voilà!" or the American "easy as pie" or "piece of cake".
Origin
Robert "Bob" Cecil
The origins are uncertain, but a common theory is that the expression arose after Conservative Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury ("Bob") appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1887, an act of nepotism which was apparently both surprising and unpopular. Whatever other qualifications Balfour might have had, "Bob's your uncle" was seen as the conclusive one.
I'm actually more curious as to why "piece of cake" is an expression now.
Edit: It turns out "piece of cake" comes from the term "a cakewalk" which comes from the fact that cakes were often prizes for things in the 1800s.
@@Richard_Nickerson Cool...tks for the info. Have a good day.
@drew pedersen
As one should.
I still get emotional when I listen to the 9th Symphony.
Beethoven was one of the greatest artists our species has ever produced. His music is transcendent. His spirit was more that of a myth than a man.
some people can lose part of the high range before losing the low range as well.
Thank you! I've always been fascinated by his works and why they changed so much over time.
There was a fascinating TV movie made in the early 90s called Beethoven Lives Upstairs. It's about a boy who's parents rent out their attic to Beethoven while he's composing his 9th symphony
You should do a Beethoven biography
I think what's most remarkable is that his best music was written in the last 10-15 years of his life when he was fully deaf
EH??? You disregard the Eroica???
@@ludwigvanbeethoven8050 No. Do you disregard the late quartets and sonatas?
inasmuch as i love the movie Immortal Beloved with Gary Oldman, i found it very disconcerting the movie found it necessary to blame Beethoven's father for his deafness by having the father smack Beethoven the child repeatedly on the ear... This made absolutely no sense b/c the beating only occurred on one ear and Beethoven was obviously deaf in both! so glad Simon and crew never brought this egregious lamebrain idea up! another job well done, Simon!
It's really sad that so many people from the past were so brilliant and beautiful in their craft while they were alive, yet never truly reaped the benefits. I would venture to guess though that even the most tortured of souls among them like Van Gogh, still lived and loved their lives immensely at times. What is truly disgusting though are all of the people nowadays who profit off of their work without having done a damn thing.
Because of freedom under the laws of physics.
To suggest that no one should make derivative works from these artists works is what would truly make them angry and depressed. The idea that in the future no one would feel free to perform and improve on them means their true death.
If asked before his death if he thought that 200+ years down the road people would not only continue to enjoy, but make derivative works from these pieces, I think he truly would have answered yes. And encouraged it.
Neither of you made any sense, or said anything that has to do with my comment. I said that people should not profit off of their works after their deaths. I said nothing about derivatives or whatever the hell you are talking about. FYI, you should know the definition of a word before you say it so many times. Derivative (Google it and read the Entire definition). So no, I don't thin that these Masters of their professions would appreciate this very much, but again Not what I said, Not even close.
Your point is bizarre. You are suggesting that after a composer dies all his music should be entombed and no one should play it or be inspired by it? As a musician, I can think of nothing worse. He's dead, he doesn't care if someone profits from his work, because he is dead. If he could have an opinion, why should you think it would be anything other than relief that someone else does not have to face financial ruin as he himself did? I imagine his pride would be rewarded to know that his work has grown and withstood the test of time, not falling into obscurity with the majority of things he would recognize. Music is not like a painting, it cannot live behind glass, it cannot inspire without being heard. Why should the people who keep it alive do so out of pure charity? Should professional musicians and conductors and concert halls not exist if they cannot compose their own music? The dissemination of music is as valid a work as it's creation. Musicians and their cohort are not thieves. If they know where their inspiration come from they will say so. If they borrow from one another intentionally, they will credit it.
I suppose I should concede that record labels can be quite greedy and predatory, but they have little to do with classical music. And on the note of modern contrivances: works predating 1900 are not copywrite and therefor no one collects royalties on the use of Beethoven's work, the work of his contemporaries, or their predecessors.
I have to say, this UA-cam channel always make my day, thank you for keeping the interesting subjects and making my breaks so fun. Thank you so much♥️
Difficult to imagine the greatest musician in history composing the 9th, the hammerklavier, and the late string quartets until you imagine Michelangelo painting the Last Judgement while blind. Ludwig Van is the most extraordinary musical genius in history not only for the greatness of his music but the fact he composed it without that faculty that should be more perfect in a musician than any other human being.
I notice how you refer to him just like Alex in A Clockwork Orange.
He undoubtedly possessed a talent that few are blessed with. The same way some chess players can play an entire game blindfolded, and recall all of the moves made in games others played.
Similarly I believe that even though he couldn't hear the notes played, he knew what they should sound like in his mind.
@@thejudgmentalcat Well even murdering psychopaths can have good taste in music lol
I'm a composer myself, and I've had tinnitus for a decade or more now. It's steadily getting worse, and I think I'm going to be completely deaf in at least one ear before I'm 50.
Unfortunately, I'm nowhere near known, never mind famous, so it looks like I just inherited an ill-combined series of genes and traits.
Relative pitch and pitch memory, combined with a good handle on transcription skills could get you a long way. I believe this had a great deal to do with Beethoven doing so well after his hearing loss.
So sorry about this. i can’t imagine how frustrating it must be. I wonder if Beethoven’s personal story is more inspiring or daunting? Either way, keep at it, as long as this remains your dream.
@@nickcharles6530
Yeah, I should pick theory study back up. I haven't done much, if any, of that since leaving college.
@@MendTheWorld
I'd say it's a bit of both. I'm no prodigy the way Mozart and Beethoven were, so it can be daunting in the sense that it means more work for me in all aspects. But it's still inspiring that a man who couldn't hear at all, nor keep accurate time on top of that, could still compose such a beautiful piece of music that's over an hour in length. It shows that *knowing* is as important, if not more so, than being able to hear what you're writing.
The most annoying part of the tinnitus at this stage is trying to fall asleep, or when I blow my ear out listening to something too loud (which I can't know is too loud until it happens).
But trying to sleep with that _eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee_ is awful. Actually, so far it's been helpful with relative pitch because it's a perfect c, so it's more like a constant _cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc_
7:22 Just a few of my favorite excerpts from reviews of the Ninth Symphony:
1) We find Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to be precisely one hour and five minutes long; a fearful period indeed, which puts the muscles and lungs of the band, and the patience of the audience to severe trial. . . The last movement, a chorus, is heterogeneous. What relation it bears to the symphony we could not make out; and here, as well as in other parts, the want of intelligible design is too apparent. (The Harmonicon, London, April 1825)
2) If the best critics and orchestras have failed to find the meaning of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, we may well be pardoned if we confess out inability to find any. . . We can sincerely say that rather than study this last work for beauties which do not exist, we had far rather hear the others where beauties are plain. (Daily Atlas, Boston, February 6, 1853)
3) The whole orchestral part of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony I found very wearying indeed. Several times I had great difficulty in keeping awake. . . It was a great relief when the choral part was arrived at, of which I had great expectations. It opened with eight bars of a commonplace theme, very much like Yankee Doodle. . . ad nausium (Quoted from a Providence, R.I., newspaper in "The Orchestra," London, June 20, 1868)
There are many more.
Hm, based on the reviews it seems being open to interpretation to such a point no conclusion could be made regardless of it was an active descision made for the piece was what people did not like. I guess music just had to relate to something
Going deaf is horrible for anyone but for this musical genius it must've been devastating. The fact that he produced a masterpiece deaf just blows my crust off! Imagine the same thing happening to say Da Vinci or Michelangelo going blind half way through thier careers?
Easy for you to say...
@@HELLWAR-LXXIII It was easy for me to type....
Simon, I would love to hear you do audiobook readings.
The kids at home will learn more from your videos than they would in a whole year of public school
The absolute mad man ♥️♥️
Beethoven and his SUPER-ORCHESTRA! Now playing at a concert hall near you! 😄😎😍
I love Beethoven, he's the original superstar.
It was Mozart who was the first musical superstar.
@@SafetySpooon haydn?
Can you do an episode on where the phrase "cats pajamas" came from? Or "that's the Bee's Knees". That would really be the cats pajamas if you did!!
Thank you for your consideration.
I'm also wondering how the cops got called the fuzz or the 5-0
@@best_bud1
5-0 originated with the original run of the show Hawaii 5-0. 5-0 was just a reference to Hawaii being the 50th state, but because it's a cop show, it became synonymous with cops.
The Fuzz comes from derogatory slang in the 60s and 70s. What I've found says it started in England because cop hats were covered in felt.
While on the topic, you may know that the term cops comes from coppers... some believe this stems from police uniforms having copper buttons, but it appears to stem from the verb "to cop" meaning "to arrest." So, coppers were people who copped.
Also, Google is your friend. It took me less than 10 minutes to teach myself all this.
R Nickerson Some people ask questions they know has interesting answers, why they dont just post the info idk
Jason Brown
I’ve never heard of that. I think the closest saying I’ve heard is “cat’s ass”... which means great?
@@molly.dog8brooke792 there is most definitely old "jive" talk where they would say phrases such as, "That sure is the cats pajamas!" or "That is the Bee's knees".
Wow I just want to give this guy a hug now
I noticed from the accounts in this video that Beethoven was able to communicate with others after his deafness (such as the meal where he was angry about the pay from his 9th). I was curious about how he did this...Was sign language a thing back then? Did he read lips?
Oh he simply had notebooks he would write stuff into and the people he'd talk to also used this notebook to reply to him
When I was a kid, I went to this one daycare center where one of the staff members told me Beethoven was born deaf.
I told her that he didn't go deaf until well into adulthood, and she said: "okay maybe he went deaf at about age 2 or 3".
It was amazing what he achieved in his lifetime. Beethoven is definitely one of the greats.
Beethoven also studied with Haydn (he originally was going to study with Mozart in Vienna, but he had died in 1791), along with seeking personal coaching with Salieri and Albrechtsberger.
Haydn was a COWARD at teaching!! Though his compositions are marvelous!
@@ludwigvanbeethoven8050 Such a shame you and Papa Haydn didn't get along better :)
12:39
From the Heiligenstadt Testament.
I always find it interesting and puzzling that many of the truly great artist of the world almost always seems to have some kind of tragic occurrence or some other kind of quirk in their personality, perhaps that is what drives them on to greatness ?
Schindler's summation of Beethoven was nothing noteworthy, but you should see his Liszt.
13:28 wow music notes looked different back then
i think it's very sad , as a life long musician/singer my family and hearing would be the the things i value most
19th century music critics were amazing. Such wit.
3:26 in case you were wondering: He is saying Theater am Kärntnertor ("Theater at the Carinthian Gate"), actually pronounced like "TAY-ah-tah umm CAREn't-nah-TORE".
Carl "tSher-ney" It's Czech, a very soft language.
Clears up alot of confusion that I had previously heard to be wrong, thought he was deaf as a child... also a good idea to be careful about standing next to speakers, which can eventually lead to a constant annoying high pitch note... and probably a good idea to avoid joining a boy band altogether, lol... always nice to unwind with some youtube videos at lower volume though...
This one is the first Today I Found Out episode that I wept as I watched. There's a reason people of his day (and today) refer to Beethoven as "the Master".
I went completely deaf around 1818 after I completed my "Hammerklavier" sonata. Let's get one thing straight, ok? I wrote more than the C# minor sonata (moonlight, I didn't name it!) and the 9th symphony! Notable works I DID write when I was deaf: Last 5 string quartets, last 5 piano sonatas, Missa Solemnis, Ruins of Athens, the 2 sets of Bagatelles etc. 12:25 yes many conversation books survive and many more would have if ANTON SCHINDLER hadn't destroyed 200 of them!
Who remembers Richard MacKenzie Bacon? Critic from 1825 who so scathingly wrote of Beethoven's 9th: "abounding more in noise, eccentricity and confusion of design." SERIOUSLY?!? Who remembers this guy? Everyone remembers Beethoven.
There is a story called Quality. In it the shoemaker could feel the souls of boots. Like that, Beethoven could feel the soul of music.
To paraphrase an old opera house saying: Bach gave music the Word, Mozart gave music laughter, Beethoven gave music Fire.
Moonlight was the joint tho... It's timeless. STILL GREAT TO THIS DAY! Thank God they didn't have no damn hearing aids back then or we wouldn't have that legendary piece!
I read that some think the deafness was a result of congenital syphilis.
The middle period was what touched my soul
I'd really recommend his late sonatas and string quartets, those being the string quartets 12-16 and the sonatas 28-32
Beethoven has synesthesia. Sound also came through as color he could see.
He called the D flat black (of course) but B flat was ‘the Orange note’.
No I didn't. That was the convention at the time due to the tempering of the fortepianos. I wasn't seeing colors
Ludwig van Beethoven ~ Hold the phone! You look great for your age. But also, that doesn’t fall in line with what you called the Db, which should have been a type of green. Can you clarify. In fact, those with synesthesia had a different color spectrum individually.
Bach, Schubert, none of you referred to them in the typical color spectrum the same, despite what was taught, there was no consistency to your references.
The most common stories of the less learned, when speaking of Beethoven, consistently and confidently speak of him as being “born deaf”…just before they offer great acclaim to his musical prowess.
11:21 [Beethoven completes letter to Schindler and looks over it.]
Beethoven: "Ja! *_Das_* sollte alles zwischen uns regeln!!" ☺️
(There! *_That_* should patch things up between us!)
I knew of a def piano player, he had this metal bar attached to the piano and would press his jaw against it, later on he got an electric piano and had a speaker put in the bench so he could "hear" the vibrations produced. I was wondering if Beethoven used anything like this.
He wouldn't have access to speakers in his day. That stuff wasn't invented for like another century after his death.
He cut the legs off his piano and used the vibrations through the floor though.
The classic tale of the tormented genius and the never-ending curse so many of them are saddled with.
Not the intended takeaway, I know, but Simon, I love your neon monogram.
Imagine if someone went back in time and gave beethowen an hearing aid lmao
I keep reading comments saying that he could hear his piano by biting down on a metal rod, which transferred sound vibrations directly to his inner ear, but I haven't seen anybody mentioning this. Is it true?
I bit down on a pencil and pressed it to the piano. I tried EVERYTHING to hear
Bonus Fact: Beethoven's dad used to wake him in the middle of the night and make him preform piano pieces and best him if he made an error. In spite of this Beethoven didn't loose his love for music and continued to pay after his father had passed.
Johannes Brahms (1896): "I always find Beethoven's C Minor concerto (the Third Piano Concerto) much smaller and weaker than Mozart's. . . . I realize that Beethoven's new personality and his new vision, which people recognized in his works, made him the greater composer in their minds. But after fifty years, our views need more perspective. One must be able to distinguish between the charm that comes from newness and the value that is intrinsic to a work. I admit that Beethoven's concerto is more modern, but not more significant!I also realize that Beethoven's First Symphony made a strong impression on people. That's the nature of a new vision. But the last three Mozart symphonies are far more significant. . . . Yes, the Rasumovsky quartets, the later symphonies-these inhabit a significant new world, one already hinted at in his Second Symphony. But what is much weaker in Beethoven compared to Mozart, and especially compared to Sebastian Bach, is the use of dissonance. Dissonance, true dissonance as Mozart used it, is not to be found in Beethoven. Look at Idomeneo. Not only is it a marvel, but as Mozart was still quite young and brash when he wrote it, it was a completely new thing. What marvelous dissonance! What harmony! You couldn't commission great music from Beethoven since he created only lesser works on commission-his more conventional pieces, his variations and the like. When Haydn or Mozart wrote on commission, it was the same as their other works."
Nice piece,
Thx 👍
The Dark side is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. . .
@Gene H ua-cam.com/video/jIHF8Xe-O6Y/v-deo.html
He thanked God during that storm for getting his hearing back before dying.
You should do Beethoven in your biographics channel. Or any composer for that matter, I notice that’s one type of historical figure that is not represented on that channel.
Are your glasses growing a beard?
You’re scaring me.
It goes to show, you can't please all the people all of the time, or, as they say, Haters gonna hate.
I would hate to lose one of my senses, even though some days I wish my sense of smell could be turned off when near certain "unkempt" people... :S
Ive lost all sense of smell after smoking tobacco for 20 years.
God I miss smelling things
@@RegulareoldNorseBoy
Have you stopped smoking?
@@Richard_Nickerson well
Tried several times
Longest time off was last month but started up again.
twocvbloke id pick my sense of smell if I had to chose which to lose. It seems to be the least important. But than I’d probably die from a gas leak so 🤷🏻♂️
♫ O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen,
und freudenvollere.
Freude!
Freude!
♪ Freude, schöner Götterfunken
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder
Was die Mode streng geteilt;
Alle Menschen werden Brüder,
Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt..........................
How did you not know this???
I knew this as a child
what a tragic figgure in history! Just imagine what he could have done if he was not deaf. Some of his later works might not have been the same, but there would have been so much more amazing music. Still, his legacy will live on forever.
Not quite. It was due to his becoming deaf that he began to write more music. He was more of a performer before his hearing went out. So while he would have given many great performances if he had not gone deaf, he would not have written as much music, leaving the world of music all the lesser for it. It's not just that his later works would be different, it's that they most likely would not have existed at all if he had never gone deaf.
What are you talking about? His deafness inspired speed to finish things. He kept writing up until he died. Maybe the music would have been different, but we didn't miss out on any because of this.
@@Richard_Nickerson I wasn't trying to debate you on this- just letting you know how it is.
He was a fkn boss, im a "modern" music person but ffs, if you cant see Beethoven for the brilliantine that he created, you have no idea..
Thank you .
Heartbreaking
Surely one of the most singular strokes of cruel irony in the history of humankind.
That was so look awesome!!!
Yes I became deaf at 25 I was deaf because every time I miss note my father hit me in my ears it would hurt he did it often it damaged my eardrums
Beethoven wowed people with number one and number two.
😂
Look up Robert Shaw's deleted scene from Jaws 😉👍