RCHUMS 250 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Tinnitus, Ear Trumpet
Document Summary
Napoleon evoked hope and fear in younger artists, poets, and writers. Beethoven"s lifelong attitude to napoleon oscillated between admiration and dislike, between approval and revulsion. Always carried a feeling of strong personal identification with a contemporary whose colossal ambition, will to power, and sense of destiny, mirrored his own. French post revolutionary composers wrote similar compositions to commemorate public figures, civilian or military, who had passed away. In a little more than 10 years since going to vienna, beethoven had fully established himself in instrumental music. Beethoven suffered from earaches and ringing in the ears- a form of tinnitus. 1803-1812 he could still play marvelously and ability to improvise continued many years after. Ability to perform in public certainly declined by about 1811-12. Last known public appearance as pianists was 1815. 1812- perception of speech deteriorated- people had to shout. His financial support came from princes kinsky and lobkowitz and young archduke.
