Ludwig van Beethoven was one of the most important composers of the classical and romantic period. He began losing his hearing in his late 20s, yet went on to compose some of his most famous symphonies and other works while deaf. As his hearing deteriorated, Beethoven relied on his lifetime of musical experience and composition skills to remember how instruments sounded together. He also used techniques like feeling piano vibrations with a pencil in his mouth to help with composition as his deafness progressed. Despite being almost completely deaf, Beethoven wrote many respected works, including six symphonies and the famous Moonlight Sonata.

1. BEETHOVEN COMPOSING AFTER
ONSET OF DEAFNESS
Uzi Ben-Ami, Ph.D

2. INTRODUCTION
 Uzi Ben-Ami, Ph.D., has worked as a psychologist in Rockville,
Maryland, for over 30 years. Beyond his professional activities,
Uzi Ben-Ami, Ph.D., enjoys listening to classical music,
particularly the works of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Ludwig van Beethoven is widely regarded as the most important
composers working during the transition between the classical
and romantic periods. One of the most well-known fact about
Beethoven is that the composer went deaf when he was still quite
young, yet went on to write a number of his best-known
symphonies. In a letter written at age 30, Beethoven stated that
his hearing had steadily worsened over the course of the
previous three years. At this point, he had completed his first
symphony, as well as several piano concertos and six string
quartets.
As his hearing deteriorated, the German composer began to rely
on a lifetime of musical composition to remember what various
instruments sounded like and how they might blend together.

3. BEETHOVEN
 This composition-by-memory was assisted by the fact
that Beethoven’s hearing deteriorated gradually,
allowing him to grow accustomed to this technique of
writing with his inner 'ear'.
Another interesting fact, Beethoven began playing the
piano with a pencil in his mouth, with the other end of
the pencil resting on the soundboard, allowing the
composer to feel the distinct vibrations of each note.
Given this fact, it could be hypothesized that he used
kinesthetic feedback during his semi-deafness and full-
deafness periods of his creative excellence. In spite of
his handicapping condition, Beethoven succeeded in
writing some of his most respected work being almost or
fully deaf, including an opera, six symphonies, and one
of his most famous works, Moonlight Sonata.