Was Beethoven an outcast?

[christophe]

To anyone who reads this message, I was wondering if Beethoven ever thought of himself as an outcast. Did the people of Vienna reject him? What was their opinion of him?
any reply would be good
Thank You
Christophe

[Serge]

There were some in Vienna who certainly disliked Beethoven as a composer or as a person, but I don't think B. ever really cared. Most of the aristocracy did not find him socially engageable but a lot of them overlooked that and respected his talents.
If Beethoven ever felt like an outcast, it would be when he was beginning to go deaf; when he was horrified (and mortified) to learn he would no longer be able to function in regular society (as well as he did!)if he could no longer hear anyone speak. His letters mention this a fair bit.
It should be mentioned that this malaise he felt didn't last the rest of his life. Once he became almost entirely deaf, he accepted it and moved on, becoming more exclusive to the world except for his closest friends. I do not get the feeling he really regretted his deafness near the end of his life. If that's the case, then that goes to show anyone can get used to almost anything.

[Peter]

In later life, Beethoven felt that he was not truly appreciated in Vienna and even contemplated leaving the city on a number of occasions - In one sense he was right, he had become unfashionable; Italian Opera was all the rage and the music of Beethoven's later years was really only popular amongst a small elite of music lovers. However he was greatly admired and respected in Vienna and regarded as a great genius in his own lifetime. The 20,000 - 30,000 people who turned out for his funeral bear testament to that.

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'Man know thyself'