Writing Music Without Hearing It

Quote of the day:
“Isn’t it interesting how human knowledge and wisdom seem to peak temporarily at age 16?”
--Tom Magliozzi

If you know anything about Beethoven, you likely know about his deafness. He wrote many of his best-known works without ever hearing them performed.

In the 1994 movie “Immortal Beloved,” Gary Oldman did a wonderful job portraying the moment when Beethoven continues to conduct the orchestra with his eyes closed after the musicians are finished playing. The concertmaster turned him around so he could see the appreciative applause of the audience.

In 1802, when he discovered he was deaf, Beethoven wrote that he was tempted to commit suicide. We can all be grateful that he didn’t.

Instead, he began to blaze a “new artistic path,” going beyond the forms of Mozart and Haydn. With ferocious commitment and tremendous energy, he wrote his ninth sonata for violin and piano.

He called it the “Kreutzer” sonata after a violinist whose playing he admired. As things turned out, Kreutzer didn’t care for the music. He called it “incomprehensible.” He never played it.

Bad call, Kreutzer. This sonata, named after you, was a groundbreaking achievement. And it’s now considered one of the best violin sonatas.