Ludwig Van Beethoven

The Life of Ludwig Van Beethoven

Length: 1464 words (4.2 pages)

The Life of Ludwig Van Beethoven

The rise of Ludwig van Beethoven into the ranks of history's greatest
composers was paralleled by and in some ways a consequence of his own
personal tragedy and despair. Beginning in the late 1790's, the increasing
buzzing and humming in his ears sent Beethoven into a panic, searching for
a cure from doctor to doctor. By October 1802 he had written the
Heiligenstadt Testament confessing the certainty of his growing deafness,
his consequent despair, and suicidal considerations. Yet, despite the
personal tragedy caused by the "infirmity in the one sense which ought to
be more perfect in [him] than in others, a sense which [he] once possessed
in the highest perfection, a perfection such as few in [his] profession
enjoy," it also served as a motivating force in that it challenged him to
try and conquer the fate that was handed him. He would not surrender to
that "jealous demon