How did beethoven go deaf

Why did Beethoven go deaf? The exact cause of his hearing loss is unknown. Theories range from syphilis to lead poisoning, typhus, or possibly even his habit of plunging his head into cold water to keep himself awake. At one point he claimed he had suffered a fit of rage in 1798 when someone interrupted him at work.

1. At what age did Beethoven go deaf?
2. How did Beethoven go blind?
3. Did Beethoven's father cause his deafness?
4. What were Beethoven's last words?

At what age did Beethoven go deaf?

Beethoven first noticed difficulties with his hearing decades earlier, sometime in 1798, when he was about 28. By the time he was 44 or 45, he was totally deaf and unable to converse unless he passed written notes back and forth to his colleagues, visitors and friends. He died in 1827 at the age of 56.

How did Beethoven go blind?

Beethoven started becoming deaf in his late twenties. He couldn't hear anything by the age of 48, but suffered from tinnitus. According to recent studies, his deafness could have come from a form of typhus caused by a rat flea. Nevertheless, he continued to compose.

Did Beethoven's father cause his deafness?

Why he went deaf remains unknown. One theory is that his drunken musician-father's frequent abuse — boxing his son's ears, when displeased with Ludwig's practicing — contributed. 4. Everyone knows him as the “deaf composer,” but total deafness didn't set it until around 1815.

What were Beethoven's last words?

After a publisher bought Beethoven 12 bottles of wine as a gift, the dying composer's final words were: 'Pity, pity, too late! '