Beethoven's deafness and his three styles

Saccenti, Edoardo; Smilde, Age K.; Saris, Wim H. M.

doi:10.1136/bmj.d7589

Cited by 33 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Saccenti et al grouped the string quartets over three periods during which Beethoven's deafness worsened until it became complete. Results from this work showed a more frequent use of the pitches <1568 Hz at an advanced stage of his deafness and the treble pitches increased in frequency for the last quartets published in 1825 and 1826, between three and six years after the composition of the three last sonatas for piano [9]. This work is partly in accordance with these findings as a higher frequency of pitches >1047 Hz occur during the mental distress and final Ethereal periods.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

“…Although there were no devices to assess hearing loss, the progressive stages of Beethoven's deafness and his feeling can be gleaned from his correspondence. Since his deafness developed gradually, some authors have sought a link with the harmonic profile of his works, expecting the treble pitches to be used less frequently over the years, while others found no difference [8][9][10]. Beethoven is also known for his strong personality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The change in Beethoven’s music composition: Is there a role of his mental distress?

Jusot

2022

4open

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Background: During his life, Beethoven faced a lot of personal problems and diseases that could lead to a prolonged period of serious mental disorder. The aim of this work is to study the link between the distribution of pitch frequencies observed in 101 movements of 32 sonatas and four periods of his compositional style. Methods: The 32 sonatas for piano were chosen because they were composed during the three periods usually considered to reflect Beethoven’s career. A hierarchical generalized additive model was performed to regress the frequency of pitches with Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) pitches, periods of composition, degrees, rests, and length of the sonata’s movements. Results: The median frequency of pitches was higher during Beethoven’s time of mental distress. This period appeared as transitory between the bright Promethean period and the fullness of the final Ethereal period. This change in the expression of Beethoven’s creativity could well have played the role of a self-therapy. Conclusion: From this singular account of Beethoven’s history of mental problems and his way of dealing with them, it could be concluded that the stimulation of their musical creativity could be beneficial for psychiatrically patients with mental health issues. It also suggests that some mechanisms such as the application of hysteresis to cognitive function at a time of mental distress, may indicate new research avenues in the treatment of mental diseases.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The change in Beethoven’s music composition: Is there a role of his mental distress?

Jusot

2022

4open

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“…Hearing loss and ultimately deafness [70,83,84] can be the cause of mental disorders [85][86][87][88]; depressive withdrawal and paranoid thinking in people with hearing impairments are well documented, especially in the elderly. In Beethoven's case, deafness was accompanied by impaired vision in the last years of his life [70].…”

Section: A Great Deal Of Time Is Spent In Activities Neces-mentioning

confidence: 99%

Ludwig van Beethoven—a psychiatric perspective

Erfurth

2021

Wien Med Wochenschr

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SummaryBiographical accounts of famous artists usually try to relate the life story to the works (and vice versa). This gives the work a special “colour”, often the context for understanding for today’s recipients. This interrelation is complex and often judgmental, sometimes manipulative. Thus, medical (including psychiatric), characterological and psychodynamic assessments and interpretations must be made with great caution. Primary sources may be scanty and diagnostic concepts may have changed (Mozart died of hitzigem Frieselfieber [prickly heat fever]; in Hölderlin’s lifetime, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder did not yet “exist”). The attempt at a diagnostic classification often says more about the author and his time than about the artist (for example, the assessment of Robert Schumann’s or Friedrich Hölderlin’s mental illness). Against this background, elements of Ludwig van Beethoven’s biography are presented from a psychiatric perspective. In summary, Beethoven can be diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder. A pronounced hyperthymic temperament is likely to have had a clearly positive influence on the course of the disorder. In particular, no influence of the alcohol use disorder on the musical quality of the work can be proven. A clear episodic course of affective symptoms as in bipolar disorder is not demonstrable. The deafness caused a severe reduction in quality of life.

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“…Therefore, the aim of this study was (1) to create a systematic review of the medical literature listed in medical databases over the past 100 years on the aetiology of Beethoven's hearing loss and (2) to critically discuss the pros and cons of the most frequently stated diagnoses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ludwig van Beethoven represents one of the best examples that the creation of ingenious musical masterpieces does not necessarily require an intact auditory feedback loop [ 1 ]. However, analyses of compositions from different periods of his life might reflect the influence of a high-frequency hearing loss at the beginning of his hearing impairment, leading to a diminished usage of high pitches in his compositions at this period of time [ 2 ]. Several controversial publications have dealt with the impact of Beethoven’s impaired hearing status onto his compositional work from a musicological point of view in the past years [ 3 , 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aetiology of Ludwig van Beethoven’s hearing impairment: hypotheses over the past 100 years – A systematic review

Thomas

Dazert

Prescher

et al. 2020

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol

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Objectives Even 250 years after Beethoven’s birth, the irrevocable cause of his hearing impairment remains unclear despite multiple publications by different professional groups. This study aimed to analyse the development of the most likely aetiologies during the last 100 years by a systematic review of the relevant medical literature. Methods A systematic review of medical literature in PubMed®, PubMed Central®, and Web of Science® for the period 1920–2020 was conducted. Medical publications between 1920 and 1935 were additionally searched manually by review of reference lists. Studies were eligible when a statement regarding the most likely aetiology of the hearing loss of Beethoven was the aimed objective of the publication. Results 48 publications were included. The following aetiologies were supposed: otosclerosis (n = 10), syphilis (n = 9), Paget’s disease (n = 6), neural deafness (n = 5), immunopathy with inflammatory bowel disease, neural deafness with otosclerosis, sarcoidosis or lead intoxication (n = 2), and systemic lupus erythematosus, trauma, labyrinthitis or inner ear disease (n = 1). There is an ongoing effort with a mean publication frequency in this topic of 0.48/year. From 1920 to 1970, otolaryngologists were the group with the highest interest in this field (67%), whereas since 1971 most authors have belonged to non-otolaryngologic subspecialities (81%). Conclusion Over the past 100 years, otosclerosis and syphilis were predominantly supposed to be the underlying causes. The hypothesis of syphilis—although rejected for a long time—has had a remarkable revival during the past 20 years. Regarding the outcome following therapeutic intervention by cochlear implantation, the differential diagnosis of neural deafness would be relevant today.

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Beethoven's deafness and his three styles

Abstract: Edoardo Saccenti and colleagues chart the relation between the composer’s deafness and his compositions

Cited by 33 publications

References 18 publications

The change in Beethoven’s music composition: Is there a role of his mental distress?

The change in Beethoven’s music composition: Is there a role of his mental distress?

Ludwig van Beethoven—a psychiatric perspective

Aetiology of Ludwig van Beethoven’s hearing impairment: hypotheses over the past 100 years – A systematic review

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