Toy Fair Story

[Michael]

This looks a new sort of venture. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to see Beethoven rolling his eyes:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/02/prweb2057194.htm

[Peter]

I like that Michael, a nice idea though the eyes are a bit scary. I'd take issue with some of their 'cool facts' at the bottom - "According to Psychology Today, Beethoven's was the highest IQ of any known person in history. Beethoven suffered hearing loss - modern medicine could have easily cured it." Well regarding psychologists I've always been sceptical and there have been thousands of brilliant minds. As to the hearing loss we aren't 100% sure of the cause and he also suffered with Tinitis which I believe is not curable even today?

[Michael]

Yes, those "cool facts" are anything but. I have never come across any reference to Beethoven having had the highest IQ ever - whatever that may mean. It is fairly well established that he couldn't do simple multiplication; one of his manuscripts shows him adding up the same figure five times to arrive at a total. His language skills were average also, even in German, so, it is reasonably safe to say, that if he were presented with a standard IQ test, he would flop miserably.
All this goes to show how so-called intelligence tests seldom reveal real genius. There is a mathematical precision to the music that would make you think that you are dealing with two different people. I think, of all composers, Beethoven lived and breathed music and he found it quite difficult to function in the real world. Ideally, he should have lived in a cave in the wilderness (with a piano, of course).
Still, the musician and writer, Hans Keller did say on one occasion that "Beethoven was humanity's greatest mind ever".
I don't think anyone would put B forward as having the greatest brain, but the greatest mind ......... ? I could go with that.

[Chris]

The essence of IQ really seems to be pattern recognition, and given his music, I think Beethoven might have scored very highly there. He may have been bad at multiplication and language, but that might be because he never took the time to focus on those those things. But that does not mean he did not have the apptitude, I suppose.

[Hofrat]

Returning to the music, it appears to me that Willem Holsbergen of the "Unheard Beethoven Site" has found an excellent outlet for his completions. The first CD of the series will include the Macbeth Overture, the oboe concerto movement, the F major romanze, and the 5th symphony. So, we have "heard" Beethoven as well as "unheard."

[Quijote]

[QUOTE=Michael;41659]This looks a new sort of venture. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to see Beethoven rolling his eyes:

Please scroll here to see my eyes rolling in dismay at this pointless thread. Thank you, Hofrat, for keeping us serious (no joke). And thank you Chris for the reference to "pattern recognition" (also, no joke; you raise a very good point - please see Leonard B. Meyer). Michael, do you see the pattern in your postings?
It´s Saturday, I´m near Mannheim, not so very far from Bonn, so I allow myself some of Beethoven´s sarcasm.

[Quijote]

This looks a new sort of venture. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to see Beethoven rolling his eyes:

Please scroll here to see my eyes rolling in dismay at this pointless thread. Thank you, Hofrat, for keeping us serious (no joke). And thank you Chris for the reference to "pattern recognition" (also, no joke; you raise a very good point - please see Leonard B. Meyer). Michael, do you see the pattern in your postings?
It´s Saturday, I´m near Mannheim this weekend, not so very far from Bonn, so I allow myself some of Beethoven´s sarcasm.
Being in Germany, I´m using a German keyboard so please excuse typographical errors.

[Michael]

Is there an echo in here?

[Quijote]

Is there an echo in here?

Would you be so kind as to serve me a slice of humble pie? And can I have it with a green salad, please?
My apologies for my posting.