What Are Beethoven's Major Accomplishments

An artist once said, ̈for my music to become intelligible to someone, he must rise above

all the misery which drags down his fellow men ̈ (Valentin 76). This man, Ludwig Van

Beethoven, was and continues to be world known due to the beautiful pieces of music he had

written. Beethoven composed quartets in large numbers as well as beautiful piano sonatas from

his childhood to the very day he died. As most musicians do, he thought, spoke, and lived music.

It was all that he had and all that he needed after the death of his mother and his father ́s issues

with alcoholism (Budden and Knapp). Unfortunately, this man of music went deaf during his

career. Beethoven continued on and wrote some of his most famous pieces without the need
He played alongside by many renowned musicians throughout

Europe at a very young age (Budden and Knapp). Beethoven was born to be a musician and

everyone knew he would go far in life because he was gifted. Nobody could have known how

long his art would affect the world, not even him.

The man wrote gorgeous pieces and was recognized as one of the top musicians of the

time. He traveled to play and compose in Vienna where famous musicians had showcased their

talent in previous years (Valentin 27). As he grew older however, he began to lose what had

enabled him to do everything he had loved. The beauty of sound was fading slowly. The first

symptoms showed up not long before the year 1800. When his deafness was growing worse he

became irritable and even more sensitive. Beethoven started becoming reclusive due to his fear

of judgement from other musicians (Budden and Knapp). At first he tried to conceal his affliction

but failed because deafness is impossible to hide. Beethoven was embarrassed living a life as a

deaf musician, for it was impossible for a deaf man to play beautiful and complex pieces,
He learned not to care about the thoughts of others towards his

disability and he continued to write.

His later works had more depth than his previous works had. Before he went completely

deaf there was more complexity behind his sonatas and more joy within his quartets. Beethoven

wrote many of his most monumental pieces throughout the time he was deaf or approaching his

deafness. The famous Ninth Symphony was written while he was completely deaf. Even though

he could no longer perform for others, he instead composed for them (Columbia). His deafness

never affected his creative talent. He could have never imagined writing pieces that influenced so

much creativity in the music world let alone doing this while being deaf. He rose above his

challenges and did what he was born to do. ̈I'd rather write ten thousand notes than a single

letter of the alphabet ̈ he once said. Those ten thousand notes and all the others will be famous,

not only for the art itself, but for the artist behind it