Questions in light of "Copying Beethoven"

[Hofrat]

In light of viewing "Copying Beethoven," a few questions came to mind:

1. How well did Beethoven read lips at the time of the 9th symphony (1824)?

2. Did Beethoven bother to tune his forte pianos at that time (he had 2 in his apartment)?

3. Did Beethoven bother to use an "ear trumpet" then or that hideous contraption mounted on his shoulders as was depicted in the movie?

[Phil Leeds]

Interesting questions. No real idea, especially with the first question, but with the 2nd, I would imagine that he did tune them, did he go totally deaf? there does not seem to be conclusive proof that he did.
Re the 3rd question, I had read somewhere that he gave up on the ear trumpet and relied on his notepad for conversations

[Peter]

If Beethoven could lip read I doubt he would have bothered with laborious conversation books. As to the tuning, I'd be very surprised if those pianos were tuned regularly if at all. As for the ear trumpets he probably gave up on them pretty soon!

[Quijote]

If Beethoven could lip read I doubt he would have bothered with laborious conversation books. As to the tuning, I'd be very surprised if those pianos were tuned regularly if at all. As for the ear trumpets he probably gave up on them pretty soon!

I imagine lip reading is a very specialist skill (probably best learnt from a very early age); besides, speaking to non-native German speakers such as Salieri, Rossini, George Smart and other such foreigners would have been problematic even if he really could lip read. As far as I can ascertain, nothing about lip reading was ever mentioned in the literature.
Secondly, whilst we have no record, I too imagine he never bothered to have his pianos tuned during his last years.
Finally, concerning the ear trumpets, perhaps he used them up to a late date, but I never read about such a horrible contraption as that depicted in the film you are referring to, Hofrat.
To be frank in responding to your questions : I have only speculations, no firm answers. Sorry.

[Hofrat]

I recall an incident (I do not remember the source) where Beethoven had a guest who opened the wing of one of Beethoven's forte pianos and was horrified to see an enormous snarl of strings. That would dovetail with your line of thinking, Philip. But like I said, I do not remember the source.

[Megan]

I recall an incident (I do not remember the source) where Beethoven had a guest who opened the wing of one of Beethoven's forte pianos and was horrified to see an enormous snarl of strings. That would dovetail with your line of thinking, Philip. But like I said, I do not remember the source.

It may have been the visit by Johann Stumpf to which your refer Hofrat.

During the next year, 1823, we find Moscheles borrowing Beethoven's piano when he played in Vienna. By now it was not in very good condition and Conrad Graf agreed to put it in good order again. After visiting Beethoven in 1824 the London harp maker Johann Stumpf said of the piano: "What a spectacle offered itself to my view! There was no sound left in the treble and broken strings were mixed up like a thorn bush after a gale." Beethoven's deafness necessitated heavy playing and whether he could hear anything at all towards the end is doubtful.

[Hofrat]

Thank you, Megan, for that quotation. It is good to know that my grey matter still functions.

[Sludlinger]

A rather sad story indeed is the tale told by Rellstab who went to visit him a couple of years before the end and B showed him, with great pride, his Broadwood piano. B played a C major chord in the right hand and an octave set of Bs in the bass. B smiled and said something about it being a beautiful piano. I think he was as deaf as a post.

[Quijote]

A rather sad story indeed is the tale told by Rellstab who went to visit him a couple of years before the end and B showed him, with great pride, his Broadwood piano. B played a C major chord in the right hand and an octave set of Bs in the bass. B smiled and said something about it being a beautiful piano. I think he was as deaf as a post.

Well, if his piano wasn't tuned it could have been any "sounding chord" within a few "beats" (as piano tuners like to term it) of those notes "struck". But as I have suggested elsewhere (speculatively), Beethoven may well have intended a CM7 (C-major + seventh) chord in 3rd inversion. But as Michael well knows (after following an intensive harmony course with me via this forum), one should - normally - not double the seventh or leading note.

[Sludlinger]

Nah ... he just hit the wrong note. A 7th with a bass B natural is a pretty nasty joke. A Bb would be more likely but he would have known the difference between a black and a white key. The poor guy's physical life was a near complete disaster. All he had was a damaged out-of-tune piano that he could not hear. Pitiful.