Tinnitus

[Michael]

For some months now I've had very mild low frequency tinnitus in my right ear. I notice it only when there is total silence. I have a feeling it's permanent but I may be wrong. I am 13 years older than Beethoven was when he died, so I haven't much to complain about!

It set me thinking about our "onlie begetter" who suffered horrendous noises as his deafness progressed. In his own words: " my ears whistle and buzz continually, day and night … such a condition is truly frightful”.

When I first got interested in Beethoven, I was astounded that a deaf musician could actually compose in his head and I imagined that he lived in a world of absolute silence which probably helped his concentration. But his compositional feats are even more amazing when you think about the terrible internal noises he must have endured.

I can't locate any specific information about the actual progress of his tinnitus as opposed to his deafness. I wonder did those sounds disappear in later life. It's hard to listen to the late quartets and not imagine them to have been composed against a background of blissful silence. Well, maybe not the "Grosse Fugue".

Has anyone come across a reference to tinnitus in the composer's later life?
I like to think he was spared that infliction as he got older.

[AeolianHarp]

What do you hear Michael? For the past 2 years I have had a sort of whooshing sound (a bit like the sea sometimes) but I hardly notice it, cos I live on a very noisy road, but at night when I lie down I can hear it, or of an evening when I haven't got music or a video on ( which is just this minute) in fact, I only just noticed it when I saw your message. It seems I can ignore it pretty well. It is not like what poor Ludwig had to listen to- buzzing and whistling. I always feel so sad when I read what he wrote about that.
It seems the tinnitus went away after a time as he didn't mention it later on. I get the impression it went as his deafness increased (like his mid 30s).
What do you mean by "onlie begetter"?
Here is a very interesting link to an article about Ludwig's resonance plate for his piano:

Of Ear Trumpets and a Resonance Plate: Early Hearing Aids and Beethoven's Hearing Perception

http://www.jstor.org/stable/746569?s...n_tab_contents

You have to join to read the article ( one can access 3 free at a time I think)

[hal9000]

I have mild tinnitus, too. I think it's getting worse since I can hear it all the time now, no longer in just complete silence. I'm considering getting one of those white noise machines (surely a better option than a fan in winter). Through sheer exposure I have managed to mentally block it out so it doesn't completely annoy me. If there was any extant ringing in his later years, maybe he just got used to it. The brain has a habit of doing that.

It's not that I'm not impressed that he managed to write his best works when entirely deaf, as most great composers can hear in their mind's ear, but it still astonishes me that he was composing new sounds that he never explored prior to going deaf. The ponticello in the 5th movement of Opus 131; the trio of the second movement of Opus 132; the gossamer web like coda of the last movement of Opus 127; the diaphanous floating ending of the Heiliger Dankgesang; the otherworldly soundscape of Opus 111; the apocalyptic hellfire that is the recap of the first movement of the Ninth... etc. I don't know how he managed to reinvent himself as a composer and in doing so pull from a larger vocabulary of sound, all while completely deaf.

[Michael]

What I hear is a low humming sound resembling a car engine idling which appears to come from a distance. I'm sorry to find that you (Aeolian and hal9000) have similar problems but I am glad to know that you both are coping well.

I didn't intend to go on about my own condition but I was curious about the lack of references to tinnitus as opposed to actual deafness in Beethoven's later life.

If the problem persisted with him, he must have had phenomenal powers of concentration to achieve what he did. And, as Hal said, apart from the ability to compose and revolutionise musical form and create beautiful themes, he had the astounding ability to imagine new sounds in his inner ear. I have always regarded this as the greatest artistic feat of all time.

(Aeolian,"onlie begetter" is a Shakespearian phrase which has a few meanings. I could be misapplying the term but I use it in the sense of "sole originator" of this forum who happens to be Beethoven. With apologies to Peter and Chris!")

[AeolianHarp]

....but it still astonishes me that he was composing new sounds that he never explored prior to going deaf. The ponticello in the 5th movement of Opus 131; the trio of the second movement of Opus 132; the gossamer web like coda of the last movement of Opus 127; the diaphanous floating ending of the Heiliger Dankgesang; the otherworldly soundscape of Opus 111; the apocalyptic hellfire that is the recap of the first movement of the Ninth... etc. I don't know how he managed to reinvent himself as a composer and in doing so pull from a larger vocabulary of sound, all while completely deaf.

Agreed- he is truly amazing!

You might like this article which explores his musical world/ear:

http://lateperiodofbeethoven.blogspot.co.uk/

If the problem persisted with him, he must have had phenomenal powers of concentration to achieve what he did. And, as Hal said, apart from the ability to compose and revolutionise musical form and create beautiful themes, he had the astounding ability to imagine new sounds in his inner ear. I have always regarded this as the greatest artistic feat of all time.

Indeed he is phenomenal! This is partly what makes him the greatest musical genius of all time.

[AeolianHarp]

Hope you both can manage the tinnitus- I have read that it is a very common condition.

Aeolian,"onlie begetter" is a Shakespearian phrase which has a few meanings. I could be misapplying the term but I use it in the sense of "sole originator" of this forum who happens to be Beethoven. With apologies to Peter and Chris!"

Oh dear, I have an A level in English and part of my BA was English, I ought to know that...

[hal9000]

Agreed- he is truly amazing!

You might like this article which explores his musical world/ear:

http://lateperiodofbeethoven.blogspot.co.uk/

That looks like an interesting read. Thanks.

[dahc]

I cannot help but feel a kindred connection with you all and Beethoven. I started noticing an almost inaudible roaring sound in my head 25 years ago. thought someone nearby was running a generator. After a long period in the construction industry I returned to school to continue my degree in composition and piano.
I realized my hearing was getting worse when attending a lecture about electronic music, in an acustically engineered room, I could not hear the instructor speak. Ramon Zupko was very soft spoken.

To make this story brief I must say I now have hearing aids, good ones, designed for music. But alas I found that i could not hear the bassist in my Quartet.
And even now cannot totally hear soft or low notes when I play. Very frustrating.
Not only does hearing loss affect ability to hear sound but it also affects ones sense of timing because sensitivity to attack and decay of a sound creates that timing. anticipation of the downbeat, phrasing etc.
I can only describe what I hear as continual white noise that drowns out all else.
It is amazing that I can relate perfectly to what The Master went through.
My Doctors now tell me it could be partially allergy related because of the many things I am allergic to. It all started with an ear infection.
But also abuse of the ears in construction. Always wear ear protection at work or even in public! Traffic, urban humm and especially today with some of the obnoxious sound systems at concerts. it is advised.
Music was such an intimate experience in Beethovens' time

[Michael]

My own condition sounds very mild compared to that, dahc. It must be much worse for a musician. I presume you play in a chamber group? Do the louder passages aggravate the tinnitus? I imagine playing in an orchestra would be dangerous for someone with that condition.

[AeolianHarp]

I can only describe what I hear as continual white noise that drowns out all else.
It is amazing that I can relate perfectly to what The Master went through.
My Doctors now tell me it could be partially allergy related because of the many things I am allergic to. It all started with an ear infection.
But also abuse of the ears in construction. Always wear ear protection at work or even in public! Traffic, urban humm and especially today with some of the obnoxious sound systems at concerts. it is advised.
Music was such an intimate experience in Beethovens' time

Sorry to hear that dahc. I have problems hearing soft spoken people in large rooms or at a distance away also. Otherwise my hearing is good I think- I haven't noticed not hearing music any worse, thankfully.

I notice now that men drilling roads in the streets wear ear guards.

I think we will see more people having hearing loss at younger ages due to them going to so many loud pop concerts and those nightclubs (I always hated them- far too loud!!!).

Yes, music was more intimate in Beethoven's time and far gentler on the ears. Even attending a symphony with drums and lots of horns doesn't hurt the ears- its electrical instruments like those guitars and drum machines that hurt the ears.

I hope your ears will improve.

[hal9000]

Even attending a symphony with drums and lots of horns doesn't hurt the ears

[Joy]

In my readings some of what I've found: Around 1796, by the age of 26, Beethoven began to lose his hearing. He suffered from a severe form of tinnitus, a "ringing" in his ears that made it hard for him to hear music; he also tried to avoid conversations. His loss of hearing has been attributed to typhus, auto-immune disorders (such as systemic lupus erythematosus), and even his habit of immersing his head in cold water to stay awake. Has any one heard about this? The explanation from Beethoven's autopsy was that he had a "distended inner ear," which developed lesions over time.

[AeolianHarp]

I recommend this book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diagnosing-G.../dp/0773531904

I think it is quite possible the typhus may have had something to do with it; it does seem that it contributed to his stomach ailments. He said himself he was never as strong ever again after contracting this terrible illness. Poor Ludwig- he hardly had a day in his life that he felt that well.

[PaulD]

In the shopping section on the website of the Beethoven Haus, there is a CD about how Beethoven might have heard his music as his condition deteriorated (Beethoven's deafness in music and words). I bought it when I visited the museum a few years ago. It is quite interesting and it gives an horrifying idea of what tinnitus and hearing loss can do. it is quite well done and interesting. Sorry if this CD has been mentioned earlier.

P.

[AeolianHarp]

In the shopping section on the website of the Beethoven Haus, there is a CD about how Beethoven might have heard his music as his condition deteriorated (Beethoven's deafness in music and words). I bought it when I visited the museum a few years ago. It is quite interesting and it gives an horrifying idea of what tinnitus and hearing loss can do. it is quite well done and interesting. Sorry if this CD has been mentioned earlier.

P.

I have this CD myself- it is very moving.