Ludwig van Beethoven is a titan of classical music. However, the man who composed the "Ode to Joy" lived a life full of silence and chaos. For instance, he counted exactly sixty coffee beans for his morning cup every single day. Furthermore, he moved apartments dozens of times because he was a difficult tenant. Consequently, his personal struggles often fueled his artistic genius. Therefore, open your ears to the secrets of the maestro. You will hear the music differently.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven counted his coffee beans precisely. Specifically, he hand-picked exactly sixty beans for each cup of coffee he drank to ensure the perfect strength.
He composed his greatest works while deaf. Although his hearing began to fade in his twenties, he wrote the Ninth Symphony when he could hear absolutely nothing.
Police once arrested him for vagrancy. Because he often walked the streets in dirty, ragged clothes, an officer mistook the famous composer for a homeless wanderer.
He struggled with basic math. While he mastered complex musical rhythms, he never learned how to multiply or divide numbers.
He originally dedicated his Third Symphony to Napoleon. However, when Napoleon declared himself Emperor, Ludwig van Beethoven furiously scratched the name off the title page until he tore the paper.
He dipped his head in cold water to stay awake. Before he composed, he often poured a bucket of water over his head to stimulate his brain.
The “Moonlight Sonata” was not his title. actually, a poet named the piece years after Beethoven’s death because it reminded him of moonlight shining on Lake Lucerne.
He had to be turned around to see the applause. At the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, the contralto Caroline Unger gently turned him toward the audience so he could see their standing ovation.
His friends stole his dirty clothes. Because he refused to buy new suits, his friends crept into his room at night, removed his old clothes, and replaced them with new ones.
He fought a bitter custody battle for his nephew. After his brother died, Ludwig van Beethoven spent years in court trying to gain sole custody of the boy, Karl.
“Für Elise” might be a misspelling. Some historians believe he actually wrote the piece for a woman named Therese, but a publisher misread his messy handwriting.
He wrote a mysterious love letter to the “Immortal Beloved.” To this day, scholars still argue about the identity of the woman who captured his heart.
Lead poisoning likely killed him. Analysis of his hair and bone fragments suggests that high levels of lead caused his chronic illness and death.
He threw food at his housekeepers. If he disliked a meal or felt angry, he occasionally launched plates of stew or eggs at his servants.
Finally, his last words were about wine. When a publisher sent him a case of wine on his deathbed, he whispered, “Pity, pity, too late!”
