Why Did Beethoven Write Music He Couldn’t Hear Performed?

In this episode I celebrate the great pianist/conductor Daniel Barenboim's 80th birthday discussing his performance of Beethoven's Op.110 Piano Sonata. I also ask the question why did Beethoven write this beautiful music when he had not only his deafness but also many other sicknesses he was dealing with at the end of his life.

[@RDRussell2]

I'm a classically trained composer who happens to have been born hard-of-hearing. I've worn hearing aids all my life. I frequently lecutre at schools on different music topics, and the question of how a deaf person could write music often comes up. I have taken to explaining it this way: "Don't sing this out loud so that everyone has a chance, but close your eyes, take a breath, and in your mind, sing 'Happy Birthday' to yourself." I've never met a student who couldn't imagine the music in their own heads. Then I explain that there is a skill called "dictation" whereby you know how to write down the music you hear in your head. Having a firm grasp of theory and form helps! We can do the same thing with the English language, by the way. We read books and magazines and "hear" the words we are reading without speaking them out loud. Skilled musicians can do the same with sheet music. Lastly, thank you for spending some time with Beethoven. I am convinced everyone can find some Beethoven they would like if they would just give him a chance. The obvious standouts are the Moonlight Sonata (search for Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, first movement) and the Pathetique Sonata (search for Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, 2nd movement). My absolutely favorite piece of Beethoven, however, is the slow movement of his last string quartet (search for Beethoven String Quartet No. 16, 3rd movement, "lento assai") which, to me, sounds like what it must sound like to enter heaven. More Beethoven, please!

[@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth1301]

Thank-you for this well-constructed, well-written, well thought through comment . . .

[@davidkeller6156]

I’ve found many passages of Beethoven that give me that feeling of entering Heaven. So much beauty and joy coming from one human. Hard to fathom the level of his genius.

[@paulburke9198]

YES ! Richard Russell , yes yes yes , can't believe mr R ick had to ask that question We ALL HEAR music . Most of us can't do much with what we hear tho' .

[@keithreckord4788]

Sometimes I will be reading and I suddenly realize , moonlight sonata 3rd movement is playing in my head. That, and so much more music just floating around my mind.

[@jasher2847]

One of the best, most informative comments I've seen on KZbin. Not kidding. Really appreciate you taking the time to write it and explain the subject from your experience and perspective. Thank you.

[@shufflocity]

Daniel Baremboim was a regular visitor to my home when I was a child. My father, Harry Franklin, was a concert pianist. Barenboim always came for dinner when he was in town to perform with the PSO. Once he came with his wife, the great cellist Jacqueline du Pré. I have several stories. I know how kucky I was to have him (and many other classical music luminaries) as part of my past.

[@andymelendez9757]

Love this!

[@NoelSquitieri]

I would love to hear your stories about those visits. Those were very special days.

[@eamonnryan6602]

Also would love to read these stories

[@iseeu-fp9po]

You should write these stories down and record them for posterity.

[@JeffDouglas_]

"Triumph of the human spirit" is right on the money and it should be noted that Beethoven's resolve to persevere with a life of composition was detailed in a letter written to his brothers Kaspar and Karl in a piece called the Heiligenstadt Testament in 1802. As a deaf musician myself, I take immense inspiration from the work of Beethoven and keep a portrait of him on my studio wall, so that whenever I think of giving it all up, I remember that i'm under the watchful eye of the maestro. How the 9th Symphony was even possible is beyond me.

[@perfectsound500]

Being deaf in one ear, I have always had the ability to feel music as well as hear the music. I am not speaking from an emotional “feeling” standpoint. I am talking about the vibrations we sense from certain notes, octaves, etc. I believe this may be another dimensional quality that most people do not possess or have the ability to recognize.

[@lizzyfolks9116]

@@perfectsound500, I agree. I am a retired music teacher who was born hearing-impaired and needed hearing aids from 3 y.o. on (once my parents recognized I had a problem with my hearing). Physical vibrations are integral. My “ear” finally clicked in during uni. Before that, just “hearing” the difference between a, say, Bb and B natural was difficult. But let me be touching the piano…… On another note, I wonder how many of us with hearing-deficit chose music as a career?

[@jefflpanther]

You already know the answer: "Ah, it seemed to me impossible to leave the world until I had brought forth all that I felt was within me." - Beethoven

[@hermanblinkhoven1856]

Dear Mr Beato, this is genuine praise from a reverse angle, so to speak. I come from the classical music world and your video's convinced me that I have been, all that time, prejudiced against pop and rock. Your channel made me appreciate the fact that Donald Fagan, Sting, Wes Montgommery, Elton John and many more, are as art as music could ever be. Listening to you talk about Bach and Beethoven proves something very profound and universal. Please consider doing a What makes this song great about Beethoven's string quartet op.74.

[@ryanh4975]

Your perspective allowed me to see digitally made music in the same way.

[@BowlingDudeTTV]

I did an entire research paper coorilating heavy metal to classical and boroque music for college. really interesting when you really break down the music to see the influences and styles within two seemingly unrelated genres

[@cozmicpfunk]

I grew up on classical- my mother played violin and this was her music! People may not recognize or realize that this was "contemporary" music at that time and had to be performed live to appreciate. I am sure those performances brought many people together and were special. We have legacies such as Beethoven to drive us in inspiration, I know for me modern music is a melting pot that adds so many rich flavors of sounds and styles to the table. I appreciate Ric and his open mind to remind us of the Genius of such great composers and their musical contributions. Thank you :)

[@iDEATH]

@@BowlingDudeTTV I've heard this surprisingly often, though it's well out of wheelhouse. All I can do is speak from personal experience, and that's growing up with classical (plus jazz, blues and rock) via my parents and finding my own tastes gravitated towards heavier music. I still love classical (the 9th is my favourite piece of music) and jazz just as much as I do the heaviest of metal.

[@joannecunliffe8067]

Aww! (crying) How beautiful and what a wonderful thing to write. Mr Blinkhoven, I love piano and orchestral music especially baroque, classical and romantic (like Mandelson) but I love madrigals, folk music, rock music, synthesizer music (especially Vangelis and Jean Michelle Jarre) and so many other genres. In many ways, music makes my life worth while. I'm sure you must feel the same. If we all liked the same things, it would be a disappointing world. If at least some contemporary music makes you happy I'm sure the artists who wrote the tracks would feel the same joy.

[@picksalot1]

I think Beethoven knew he was an extraordinary Composer, with unique insights into music, and he was determined to not let the wonders he created and heard in his mind go unheard by the rest of the World.

[@ericrakestraw664]

Yes, these late works were Beethoven's gift to the world.

[@Kryijer]

Interesting perspective, never thought of looking at it that way!

[@Cynsham]

We absolutely know that Beethoven knew he was an amazing composer. In a letter he sent to his brothers, called The Heiligenstadt Testament, he laments about his increasing deafness and when referring to his loss of hearing he said "Ah, how could I possibly admit an infirmity in the one sense which ought to be more perfect in me than in others, a sense which I once possessed in the highest perfection, a perfection such as few in my profession enjoy or ever have enjoyed."

[@specialperson335]

But it's sad to know that most of them went unheard...

[@cactusfloydx5d]

I think he discovered that music is the language of the Gods. he felt responsible to share it with the world, and maybe his deafness allowed him to see it more clearly.

[@TommyGrafman]

Being a father of a Deaf and a hard of hearing sons, this hit close to home. I feel that Beethoven is what I tell him sons… Never let your disability turn into a handicap. 🤟🏼

[@sonubhargava5473]

Tell them about Evelyn Glennie

[@gfriedman99]

@@sonubhargava5473 Or Rachel Flowers

[@sonubhargava5473]

He was answering his calling

[@wileyhollingsworth3113]

Beethoven had help. He held one end of a metal rod with his teeth, holding the other end against the piano. He bypassed the ears, and went to a 'bone headset'.

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

Yep. Beethoven was deaf. Bach and Handel went blind. Geniuses of modern music like Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder were and are blind. It is possible for deaf people to experience music.

[@CMI2017]

If Beethoven came back today he'd be overwhelmed at how central he is to world culture and how we venerate him.

[@georgiostemirsidis1966]

For any musician, discovering this channel must be like winning the lottery! You can tell Rick truly lives and breathes to consume music in a way that enhances his life while also entertaining and enlightening millions of people around the world. This channel is an absolute goldmine for anyone who truly loves music, and sees it as a valuable part of their life.

[@The_Tokoloshe]

hear hear

[@VALINOR24]

I concur. I've learned a lot about music from Rick.

[@davidpolston4172]

So agree...Rick is fantastic

[@splinky730]

I just found his channel today... how on earth could I not subscribe. BTW GREAT RULE TO BO TV ON DURING DAY WOULD BE SO WINDERFUL FOR EVEN CHILDREN BECAUSE ALL THE GENRES OF MUSIC PLAYING DURING DAY JUST SIMPKY PUT, EXPANDS THE MIBDS OF OUR YOUNG..a AND THIS IS SO VERY IMPT TO BRINGING UP A QUALITY ADULT TO SERVE I do not come from music background but as all people should, I want to educate self of as many things that I am able... and Mr Beato is now the man. Grew up for 3 yrs without any television in 3rd world Ankara Turkey. For those 3 yrs I learned to LOVE to read (still do) & folk played classical music all day long. (There was also variety of other genres to at time classical not running~ but classical just rang a bell with me as all day long enjoyable background music). SO thankful Dad was in USAF which allowed us kids to see the world in a bigger greater way than had we otherwise grown up. I think growing up USAF is certainly behind my career as a children’s book writer. God bless to y’all!

[@crystaljackson3912]

I share my birthday with Beethoven and have always been inspired by him. My piano teacher once told me that when Beethoven first realized his hearing was failing, he sawed the legs off his pianos so that he could better feel the vibrations as he composed and played. That's brilliant. The strong will makes a way, accepts no defeat, and will not cease in expressing itself.

[@grahamlewis6777]

The beautiful thing you have brought to this audience is that whilst you deeply enjoy and have a history with prog, rock, grunge and pop music that you lived through, you introduce like minded people to what came before. There is a long history of incredible music from composers like Beethoven.. I for one might have skipped over it, but for your channel. Now I'm listening to it. Thank you.

[@spindriftdrinker]

It is a bit odd that Rick loves grunge but never even acknowledges the existence of punk rock though.

[@PolyQuasi]

@@spindriftdrinker Punk is all spirit. 3 chords and the truth, etc... Maybe there's less to hang his hat on? Who knows, now he'll probably do an episode haha

[@1mataleo1]

Beethoven has to be one of the most amazing people that ever lived. The fact that he was completely deaf, yet able to hear such complex music all in his mind is impossible for me to wrap my head around. I mean, it’s hard to understand how anyone could write such masterpieces, let alone someone who couldn’t hear.

[@python_7179]

he had a lifetime of ear training by the time he went deaf. he also never went totally deaf and could still use his piano as a reference point by playing a note and putting his ear to the floor. but he had such a deep understanding of music that his mind's ear took over his physical ear, and it actually made him a more powerful musician. his late period is usually considered his greatest

[@windycityliz7711]

What is more stunning to me is not only did Beethoven continue to write music, his concepts of what were possible in music continued to evolve - in his head. His final 3 symphonies (especially but not limited to the 9th), the final quartets, and the las 3 piano sonatas. The final sonata is Jazz, baby, at least the way Alfred Brendel plays it. He was truly a tortured heroic man

[@barberbach5883]

As far as I am concerned, the Beethoven Piano Sonatas are the greatest music that has ever been composed. One of the greatest artistic achievements in human history. The piano sonatas have it all. In these sonatas Beethoven speaks in so many different ways. The diversity of musical expression is astounding.

[@lolilollolilol7773]

Also his last bagatelles and his string quartets.

[@marcraider]

and his violin and piano sonatas, trios, etc., Beethoven was one of a kind

[@jsimonlarochelle]

Beethoven's later work is just mind-boggling. I am almost driven to tears every time I listen to the 5th piano concerto's 2nd movement. The emotions in that music is just overwhelming. The interplay between the piano and orchestra are at a new level in the 5th concerto. Genius.

[@Markmoss353]

💬💭.💬....👆👆

[@ofirblu222]

Actually this concerto is considered a piece from the middle period.

[@jsimonlarochelle]

@@ofirblu222 Yes I know about the 3 periods of Beethoven. But if you forget when he wrote it (the year and the fact that musicologist will put the 5th in his middle period), musically piano concerto number 5 stands apart and is certainly a preview of things to come. A good mix of technique, inspiration, emotion ... genius.

[@gspianoguitar4369]

Aah opus 110. As a pianist myself this is where sometimes the blurred lines of music becomes what some may say is spiritual or takes on some other 'quality' that is so difficult to explain or analyze. Op 110 was the first piece I ever played that made me feel I was in the presence of something 'outside' of merely a composer writing a great piece of music. It was a piece of art that made me question my mere exiistence on this earth and wonder is the regular day and night all we have. This is a piece of artistic endeavour that for me made more sense of my own world as a musician / pianist. It's often thought that Beethoven is the more aggressive, more imtimidating, heart on sleeve, in your face' of composers but this work reveals a higher purely melodic sense amongst his many talents - in my opinion. It has an inner reflective 'gentle' quality as shown in the slow 'free' passages and in the fugue that really is a moving commentary and becomes a triumph finale that almost matches his 'heraldry' in the 5th symphony ending - just wonderful. Trying to get it across to an audience is actually not that difficult imo Beethoven more or less does that for you in the notes alone. Ab rules!

[@gerbs139]

Really well said; Op. 110 is truly otherworldly.

[@RC32Smiths01]

Beethoven making this amidst his struggles and obstacles was beautiful hear. Concrete Proof that Music transcends what we know, and that it is an amazing remedy.

[@paulyiustravelogue]

Nearly 200 years after his death and people are still listening to, learning, performing and even analyzing his music. That alone is nothing short of astonishing. I doubt much of anyone would do the same to bands we praise and listen to these days in a 100 years.

[@spactick]

i think they'll be serious studies done of Lady Ga Ga's piano concerto in b flat in the future. Without question

[@Matthew_Troll]

I think The Beatles are the closest thing that we’ll experience in our lifetimes. 60 years on and the love for their music and its influence on musicians today are as strong as ever. That might change over the course of the next centuries but I don’t think it will.

[@bethgoldman2560]

I’m in tears here. My mother would plays these on Sundays and I would sit and just listen. I’m a lover of this because my mother and father gave my the gift of every kinds of music. I can just sit so totally transfixed by the mastery of sound these artist provide! I wonder could you look into the use of classical music in pop music…like Rachmaninov being the jumping off point for Eric Carmen…

[@Entertainer114]

Yes! "All By Myself" being a cheesy copy of his melody from the 2nd movement of Rachmaninoff's sublime Second Piano Concerto. I'd be down to hear a series on song connections like this too.

[@1LaOriental]

Gentle Is The Rain , song from the 1960's. Barry Manilow also used a Chopin prelude.

[@brendanramkissoon7838]

Even after listening to greats like Mozart or Bach, Beethoven’s emotional playing really sets him apart

[@johncase2408]

It is easy to see and hear how Beethoven was the Titanic Bridge between the classical and romantic periods. Nice retrospective!

[@voidofwoid]

Vielen herzlichen Dank von einem Beethoven- und Rick Beato-Fan aus Deutschland 🥰.

[@UniversalBrow09]

Beethoven.... respect for the Classical and yet so UNDENIABLY Beethoven in character. He couldn't conceal his identity if he tried. Powerful, honest, intimate, personal... beautiful music. I'm not a pianist, but have played lots of his chamber and symphonic works on the violin.

[@AngelHadzi]

Both Daniel Barenboim and Martha Argerich were born in Buenos Aires, mi city. We are so proud of them, I hope someday Rick can listen to some argentinean music as Piazzolla.. I´m sure it will blow his mind.. greetings from Buenos Aires, la ciudad de la furia..

[@FedericoPalma]

Me ganaste de mano... Exactamente lo que venía pensando comentar... Y meter una ficha de la infancia neoyorkina de Piazzolla para sumar al combo...

[@AngelHadzi]

@@FedericoPalma rick rara vez lee los comentarios asi que no se si vale la pena jaja

[@JGerFuentes]

@@AngelHadzi yo hago mi aporte con una manito arriba así lo lee. Excelente recomendación! Saludos!

[@AngelHadzi]

@@JGerFuentes graciass

[@lolilollolilol7773]

Oh I'm sure Rick knows and loves Astor Piazzolla. But yea I hope he speaks about his music too.

[@omegahorizon82]

the feeling he had is unexplainable.

[@tertiaryobjective]

"I think of myself as being the laziest person in the world" After I've fired up the synth to write more, that's why we all watch Rick, it helps keep us motivated to make music. Plus you show us paths of inspiration we might not have considered.

[@timothycormier3494]

I can understand him not just still wanting to write music at that point in his life. Deaf and ill also nearing the end of his life. I can completely understand him needing to continue working on his music. Music for me is therapeutic and also my best friend in the way of my music is mine and only mine. It’s where I place my heart. My happiest times my saddest times and everything in between. My instrument is my outlet that I pour my soul into.

[@JULIET07991]

We studied a chapter on Beethovan in school days,, its called Fire and Tears.. And yeah, it's sad to know about his life... He had gone through so much yet he had attachment with music.

[@SauloDSReis]

I love how Rick uses the range of his channel to present usually unknown music beauty to the popular ears. Thank you very much Rick for bringing Daniel Barenboim to our days and praising his talent. About Beethoven, he did not born deaf. The same way people who did not born blind can imagine forms, he had the experience of sound, and than, he could imagine sound. Beautiful.

[@enkiitu]

Bringing Daniel Baremboim to our days? He is very much alive and is a world renowned conductor, mind you.

[@SauloDSReis]

@@enkiitu mind my english, but I meant that, without Rick's video, I doubt most of us would be playing his work. I mean, for example, I was listening to ELP's Tarkus prior to watch the video. Then, after the video, I went through hours of Beethoven's sonatas. Thus, Rick brought Daniel's work to my *day*, at least. Hope correcting me gave you enough joy.

[@enkiitu]

@@SauloDSReis 👍🏼👍🏼

[@camilemckitrick8783]

It's like listening to flowing water through rapids, eddys, falls, spray against rock, sparkles in sunshine, and placid oxbows. When you have all of this beauty shimmering in your mind, with such clarity, it absolutely has to come out for others to hear and play.

[@richardshoults8775]

Well put!

[@camilemckitrick8783]

@@richardshoults8775 Thank you.

[@JamesWilliams-en3os]

I was 19 in 1973, and driving home from work in my car, when I heard part of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Minor on the radio. I had to pull off the road to listen to the entire piece. I was a diehard rock n roll guitarist and bassist, although raised on light classical music, but had never really “heard” Beethoven until that day. My mind was opened to his genius that afternoon. His piano sonatas are sublime. I will find this collection and buy it. I need it. Thank you for doing this video, Rick.

[@frankruggiero4321]

The Violin concerto deeply affected me on first listen as well. I hate throwing the word around, but he was truly a “genius” in the sense of the word.

[@johnandre5558]

I heard a LOT of Bach as a child and thought of Beethoven and kind of corny. His Violin Concerto changed that in and instant. By far my favorite Beethoven.

[@RickMacDonald19]

Appassionata!!

[@TucsonBillD]

Rick, this reminds me of the story of the pianist Camille Saint-Saens who, after performing four pieces at his concert debut, he then got up from the bench and announced to the audience that for an encore, he would perform any one of the 32 Beethoven Piano Sonatas from memory… He was 10 years old at the time.

[@Tonysmithmusic]

Barenboim has always been one of my favourites. Didnt he memorise them all by the age of 18. What a gift.

[@sweber446]

Thank you so much for talking about Beethoven's genius Rick! As a classical pianist it means so much to me; he has to be my favorite composer of all time. Barenboim's renditions are truly some of the best out there, such a skilled musician. Thank you for all your wonderful content! S

[@lukameah853]

Please listen to Emil Gilel's Waldstein Sonata: the best rendition I've ever heard. Also, Pollini's Appassionata Sonata is absolutely brilliant.

[@sweber446]

@@lukameah853 I love Gilel's playing, though I haven't heard his version of the Waldstein yet. I'll check it out. Thank you!

[@petravh4711]

@@lukameah853 Yes. Kudos to Barenboim but I don't think he's the best pianist to play Beethoven - too soft. Maybe just interpretation and preference. Also, I was under the impression Beethoven wasn't so much deaf as he suffered from very bad tinnitus - something people who have perfect pitch are prone to developing. Maybe I have been misinformed.

[@lukameah853]

@@petravh4711 The added awfulness of going deaf is that it isn't quiet, but a hellish ringing and buzzing.

[@petravh4711]

Luka Meah: exactly, and now you can't always distinguish the inner sounds from outer notes: all just hellish ringing and buzzing. Poor Beethoven.

[@darwinsaye]

I can imagine pretty easily how Beethoven would write a piece of music say, for solo piano, but where my mind gets particularly boggled, is at the thought of how he could arrange entire symphonies. Sitting there, writing the music for every single instrument, and knowing in his head how they would all sound together.

[@ofirblu222]

Every symphony was written that way. Being a composer means to know what instruments sound good together even without an orchestra available to help you.

[@darwinsaye]

@@ofirblu222 Yes, I know, and that skill of all composers impresses me. I’m just saying that writing one part while deaf is not so impressive as that, in comparison.

[@marte1081]

@@darwinsaye he wasn’t completely deaf

[@Cinderella121]

@@marte1081when he wrote the 9th symphony he was almost completely deaf.

[@laurentco]

The four last sonatas are astonishing! The opening bars of opus 109 is just gorgeous! Opus 111 is incredible; the first boogie woogie riff. Check out the Ivo Pogorelich interpretation of opus 111. It's sublime!

[@sandwhichism]

Beethoven is a great inspiration and brilliant composer. Classical music for the win.

[@fartissimo]

Rick, I love it when you discuss classical composers and performers. There are volumes of books written about Beethoven's late works and I am glad you are highlighting the gorgeous Ab sonata; however, I would also ask you to do an entire episode on the Adagio Sostenuto from his Op 106 Hammerklavier which he also wrote while deaf. It is among the most profound, gorgeous, hopeful and most heartbreakingly sad pieces ever written in all of music. The entirety of the human experience can be found in this one work. I am always dumbstruck when I think of how Beethoven innovated the classical form and brought in the Romantic era while also laying the ground work for the modern era in Op.111 and the Grosse Fugue.

[@lukameah853]

I can play the Hammerklavier...up to the grand fugue. That's where I gave up....sorry, you need 3 hands to play it. lol. But I agree with you 100% about that 3rd mvt. It influenced every major European composer after him.

[@brianvanderspuy4514]

@@lukameah853 Apparently, Franz Liszt could play pretty much anything on sight. The only exception was the Hammerklavier.

[@davidhughes9453]

@@brianvanderspuy4514 Yes, I agree - the adagio from 29 is the most extraordinary piece of music I know...

[@LcdDrmr]

Beethoven wasn't just hearing the music in his head, he was seeing and feeling it as he wrote it; he was playing it on paper. I think anyone who composes can understand how the written arrangements of notes can convey moods and colors that will translate into sounds that convey the same to both the performer and the listener.

[@simonward2020]

Rick, you are by far my favorite person to enjoy listening to a song with. Whenever I listen to a new song, I love making those little comments of "that minor key change was beautiful," "I love the light and elegant feel there," etc.. Noone else I know really does that, and I think it really adds so much to experiencing a song. Whenever you make those comments, it makes me so happy. Thank you for appreciating music so much.

[@Bubba-zu6yr]

As a budding jazzer my mates used to say, “You’ll feel it.” This is beyond the next level. Bravo!

[@EligatorEric]

Amazing playing, yes. And such a great recording - the piano sounds beautiful. You can sense his touch.

[@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth1301]

I agree with you . . .

[@DMcC]

Having been involved with the deaf community since I was a young teenager, I think it valuable to point out that the deaf not only can compose music, they can enjoy it (or hate it) as well. They're "feeling" the vibrations rather than hearing the pitch, but I've been to full-on concerts with deaf friends and we all seem to be having a similar reaction to the music itself. Had a deaf buddy who was a good drummer actually...he could certainly feel the grooves he was laying down :)

[@rubo1964]

After 200years its still fresh contemporary.That in itself is remarkable.

[@danvitco771]

Well stated Rick. Classical music like this is another category of beauty and quality compared to today’s pop music. There is in fact, no comparison.

[@Buzzygirl63]

Beethoven is my favorite composer ever. Utter genius - he ushered in a whole new type of music whose influence is still being felt today. It sounds so different from what came before it.

[@Noctifern]

same Jackie. he's amazing. I've been obsessed with him recently. so enjoyable

[@CyrusandAurelius]

Such a wonderful topic! Rick should reach out to Martha and Daniel and see if they can do an interview. He is bringing their playing to so many people!

[@rmcellig]

I can't listen to Beethoven! I run out of tears it's so beautiful. Incredible composer!

[@youtubeepicuser4209]

I hope you are taking that emotional depth and playing an instrument, or better yet composing :)

[@rmcellig]

@@youtubeepicuser4209 yes. Drums. 😃

[@youtubeepicuser4209]

@@rmcellig hell yea

[@dannymacnevin3939]

You're right Rick. We are all lazy musicians! When you really stop for a second and think about what it would have been like. It is not only heart breaking, it is inspiring! We should all take a page from Beethoven's book. Life is short, the gifts we are given are not to be taken for granted, any gift! Be it a painter, a musician, whatever. We have to keep trying and never give up! Great video Rick. As always!

[@randymeyer6482]

Someone who was NOT "lazy" was Duane Allman. He likened the Muscle Shoals Wrecking Crew to "insurance salemen" because they only played when they were "working." Kind of like Red Auerbach telling Kevin McHale that he needed to be more like Larry Bird. Kevin replied, "I've got a life, Coach." Music was life to Duane. Somehow Rick Beato consistently downplays Duane Allman, to the point that he didn't know that his (Beato's) pick for the #1 spot on his Greatest Rock Intro lick video, came from Allman, not Clapton.

[@martinscholes2023]

I adore Beethoven. Cannot imagine my life without him. I’m on a mission to spread the word. I took my wife and 2 dear friends to the Royal Albert Hall last month. The programme? 5th Piano Concerto followed by the glorious 9th Symphony. Hard to express what I felt about it. …. Life affirming is the best I have. Words are inadequate

[@haydenbsiegel]

Beautiful video. I always find inspiration in musicians who appreciate what it means to write a note. For that type of person it isn’t just about the sound it is just who they are. I think this is why Beethoven kept writing even when he could no longer hear. The music isn’t just about pleasant sounds it was for him just how he lived his life. When I did my video on the composer Joseph Beer who wrote this beautiful opera while in France hiding from the Nazis and it was a comedy. The man knew it would not be played outside the sheet (at least not for several decades) but it was how he found comfort because it was who he was and nothing more. I find this in myself and I think a lot of musicians do. I have scores of sheet music albums written but most of it will never be played. Although I may have a mountain before me when it comes to my research into a series of string harmonics that are so obscure no one cares I feel I must because the sound is part of me. I am proud to say I can appreciate the importance of a note - just a note - no matter how strange is. It isn't just a sound, it is the sound of someone's life.

[@guitarjonn7103]

Always good to remind us all of the truly miraculous life of Ludwig Van. His accomplishments, especially later in life, are just mind blowing. During your interview with Pat Methany, I recall him saying something like, "Compared to Bach, we all suck". Very true for the many billions of us historically, but certainly not for this man. Listening to his works puts me in a silent awe that lingers long afterward.

[@phasespace4700]

Pat should have said "compared to Bach, we all suck but compared to Beethoven, we all _really_ suck!

[@forbolden]

Rick, thank you for turning an old Rocker into a classical music listener. You have expanded my silly self imposed musical boundaries and opened a new world for me.

[@AskAScreenwriter]

Thank you for bring more attention to Beethoven, Bach, and other great masters of the past! As a classic rock DJ once said long ago, that I've taken to heart, in spite of the jokes that people make about various kinds of music, there are really only two types: music you like and music you don't. Enjoy what you enjoy, no matter the genre! As a 'guitar guy' who is knowledgeable across all types of music, I was wondering if you might do a brief show on Heitor Villa-Lobos and his guitar works in particular? Some AMAZING stuff!

[@zeppelinmexicano]

I signed up for All Things Beethoven many years ago, and have never looked back. Nothing could stop him and each was better than the last.

[@jules153]

Op 109, 110 and 111 are all incredible pieces of music

[@owlcowl]

Absolutely! Each one a uniquely sublime and moving meditation. Together with the demanding Hammerklavier sonata op 106 (so opposite in character to the last three) and the monumental Diabelli Variations op 120, they form the absolute pinnacle of the piano repertoire.

[@jules153]

@@owlcowl indeed. Gilels, Biss, Ashkanazy, Levit and Schif are my favourite Beethoven players. Recently heard a recording of Richter play the Diabellis.... Utterly jaw dropping.

[@sophiaperennis2360]

@@jules153 You should try the early recording of the Diabelli by Kovacevich, the one he made in the 70s. An amazing performance for me.

[@Decodooogal]

My grandma was completely stone deaf, yet she played the piano beautifully. I asked her, as a young naive child, how she could do this, and s.he explained that she could feel/sense the vibrations of the hammers on the keys and she could 'imagine' the sound. This absolutely blew me away, as her playing was impeccable

[@donaldkrone4717]

Rick OMG!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe you did this. Beethoven was incredible and you are so right. What motivation it must take to produce something so beautiful when you can't hear it yourself. Thank you for this and I hope that you do something on Mozart and other classical musicians too.

[@theshivers1967]

I am still astonished at his late career, decades after my sainted father introduced me to him.

[@alexsiedler]

Its great how timeless music can be...lately i listen to alot of classical music and somehow decided its time to listen to Wagner Ring des Nibelungen.. Just like before with bach and beethoven i was in awe, even more so after i finished the ring cycle....i needed an hour of silence and being alone to grasp what masterwork of the human intellect i was gifted to experiece. Soltis Ring brought me to Furtwänglers, which in return made me find his Beethoven recordings. Divine works of humanity!

[@telephilia]

Not only was Beethoven deaf in the Late Period, he also suffered from other ailments and was locked in a bitter custody battle in court for his nephew who tried to commit suicide. A testament to his formidable will to create. He was already a famous composer and could have decided just to retire artistically.

[@dhjet2000]

The fact that Bethoven was deaf at the end of his 'career' always astounded me. One thing that you brought to my attention was that when the Beatles broke up, was that they were all in their 20's! I cant even imagine having been that talented as a musician to write or play music that great at such an age. Even a band like Rush - where you find three or four people (Beatles) from the same city/area that can write so much great music, classic music - just over and over and over. If I had even some of that talent, I think it would take a world search to get to even some level of success just to work on the road crew.

[@robboddice9418]

one my signal memories is sitting ten feet behind Barenboim's right shoulder and watching him play Beethoven in Berlin. It was all done so effortlessly, almost with a shrug. Like that.

[@AlexanderIgnatiev]

This (Op. 110) was one of my late grandfather's favorite pieces and indeed performances. My grandfather never had the opportunity for musical training, but all of his children learned piano from his mother-in-law. Thank you for highlighting late period Beethoven and reminding me of my grandfather's love for this music.

[@kentharris3878]

I can't help but think (and be thankful) that some may hear this music for the first time here...because of your influence...and be inspired to create immaginative, melodic, beautiful music that we will all benefit from hearing. I know you must think sbout such things because you are always thinking forward as you look back...teaching...mentoring...encouraging. You (and this channel) are gift, my friend. I cannot wait to see where you take us next.

[@dalinejones]

Thank you for sharing Beethoven's incredibly beautiful Opus 110!

[@ericmendelson4597]

Rick, Thank you so much for this video. Having played classical piano for over 50 years now, I have learned (but never mastered) a number of Beethovens sonatas. They are at once awe inspiring, joyous, challenging and frustrating. Awe inspiring in that they show us the heights of creation the human mind can achieve, even in adversity. Joyous in their triumph of spirit. Challenging from the technical perspective of performance and, frustrating in the sense that the sonatas are greater than any performance of them could ever be. You can spend a lifetime studying them (many have) and always find something new.

[@kyleb2044]

I have music playing in my head pretty much all the time, often pieces that only exist in my head. I don't know how common that is, but the fact that he brought the music in his head to the world without actually being able to hear the final product is really cool and doesn't seem too crazy to me. If music is a language, he was extremely fluent.

[@happypiano4810]

I hope you write down the pieces that only exist in your head as they come to you, cause that’s most of how composing works.

[@emmetharrigan5234]

Beethoven's sonata Op 111 has some really really incredible moments of silence

[@chipotherocker5612]

You can hear the Rage and a voice calming him down from time to time.

[@KarlRKaiser]

Many of us believe that when Beethoven could no longer hear music in the air around him he went so deep into himself that he found music in a metaphysical depth of reality and brought it back to Earth, like Prometheus stealing fire from the gods on Mount Olympus.

[@rv6205]

just stop already

[@schubertuk]

Opus 110 is easily my favourite late Beethoven piano sonata. Not because it is the greatest - but because it is the most accessible. That is: I can play it! Always a delight, always profound, always forever.

[@bethl]

I’m going to print it out & start learning it!

[@schubertuk]

@@bethl I hope you enjoy it - learning it was part of the pleasure for me.

[@neilf6782]

My favourite is opus 111 but they say the diabelli variations is the greatest work even written for the piano.

[@schubertuk]

@@neilf6782 I can't fault your love of Opus 111 - the last movement seems to me a perfect vision of heaven and sublimity. As to the Diabelli variations - I have huge admiration for them - but not the same love. Being the 'greatest' is an interesting choice of word - as it does not necessarily mean the best - but often refers to scale/size/breadth of conception - and this version of the word does fit the Diabelli variations quite well.

[@Guitarandyman1969]

I feel the exact same way about Beethoven. It is absolutely astonishing that he wrote those pieces while deaf. I am grateful that you bring light to such a brilliant composer.

[@Guitarandyman1969]

I would like to message though the phone is not working

[@reganjo1955]

Opus 110 amazing. I do love listening and watching you listen with me and you make that face just about the time that I make that face incredible!

[@annekinney6654]

I visited the wonderful Beethoven museum (and place of his birth) in Bonn, which you have almost certainly already visited. I wasn't expecting to walk into a room filled with his ear trumpets and the little "conversation books" he used to communicate with people. Even though I knew he relied on those instruments, the sight of them and the cosmic injustice of it pierced me to the core. I loved your film of the Bach museum. Can't wait to visit it myself .

[@Michael-tk9mx]

I watched the video on beethoven a while ago, I specifically listened to the 9th symphony you mentioned and I listened to it again multiple times and funny enough not too long before you posted this video today. I never listened to much classical music before that but I've enjoyed Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky and many other since. So thank you Rick

[@canalesworks1247]

Now for my praise of this clip. Your love of music in general and admiration of Beethoven is in itself very touching. In addition to providing one of the best pop music analysis channels on KZbin, which in itself is a major achievement, the fact that you are able to make music into a universal subject through submitting videos such as this lifts the level of your work. As a person who is well versed in both pop and classical music I am deeply appreciative of your efforts. Thank you!

[@raymondjamesrivera]

Man, this channel is wonderful. Where else can you learn and appreciate Sting, Beethoven, Karnivool, Van Halen, Joe Pass, Keith Jarrett etc, all in ONE place. When people speak of how technology and the internet is changing the world in a positive, this is a prime example. Simply a treasure. I know what I'm listening to later...

[@oldsoulpoet]

Rick, I believe that these incredible notes were already within him - similarly to the great sculptures who say that the imagine was already in the stone - they just had to free it - ❤️

[@Wingnut_Stickman]

You cannot explain genius!

[@tirzocapipoca]

I appreciate how you bring out the erudition in popular music and bring erudite music into the popular realm. This is good content.

[@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth1301]

Astute comment . . .

[@Phi1618033]

Beethoven couldn't hear the music, but he could still feel the vibrations through his body.

[@alanserjeant4947]

Also, he didn't start going deaf until he was about 27

[@jacktinney]

@@alanserjeant4947 he published his first sonata when he was 25

[@thejabberwocky1488]

What’s funny, is that I practice guitar by listening to my favorite bands/songs with over the ear headphones on; and I can tell by the way the strings vibrate on my fingertips if I’m hitting the note or not. Same if I’m playing with the guitar pressed against my chest, I can feel the vibrations. It’s very cool.

[@Therianartist934]

‘Triumph of the human spirit’ that is certainly Mr. Beethoven. No excuses allowed. Great video as always!❤

[@JamesJoyce12]

Gould's Beethoven 31 is surprisingly moving - if you have not given it a listen then you should try! Love the ventures into classical and jazz - never stop them!

[@anguskerr1872]

About 4 bars in, there's that little falling semitone accidental, which immediately reminded me of Mozart - his influence is evident throughout the piece. I wish you would do some videos on Mozart - some of the later works really start to dig into a rock-music like ethos..Like Piano concerto 20, Mass in C minor, Requiem...and the list goes on....When it comes to sadness, he is truly the master...and that's still in major keys...

[@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth1301]

I wonder if Rick will ever get around to tackling Die Zauberflöte . . .

[@marktegeder2455]

Bravo Rick for featuring Beethoven!

[@AlexKurilovMusic]

Your enthusiasm towards music is so contagious, and every time I watch you I get an urge to go and jam on my piano, explore some scales, or write some music, or just play. Thank you for your work

[@lawrencewhite4362]

Lovely discussion, Ric. I just wanted to let you know - I performed a vocal recital last month, and my pianist was playing that exact Steinway that Barenboim recorded the complete Beethoven sonatas on! Unbelievable. Real history. I felt incredibly lucky! The piano sounded amazing and the recital went really well. Sending all love and best wishes, Lawrence x

[@lawrencewhite4362]

I should add, my friend owns that piano! She's an incredible player and a great accompanist. I don't quite know how she got the instrument, but people pay her to go to the church where it lives, and to sit and play it and record on it. Amazing.

[@paulcoombes2885]

@@lawrencewhite4362 So she doesn't have to carry it herself, load it into a Morris Minor Traveller and drive it to each gig - like I did with me Fender Rhodes back in the day? Luxury!

[@williamt.swanson4861]

Beethoven’s late piano sonatas and string quartets bring incredible joy .

[@brianwilke592]

I did a second tour of Germany while serving in the Army in the late 90’s. One of the huge advantages was the ability to tour in my off time. One time I drove from the Frankfurt area over to Bonn and visited Beethoven’s birthplace and I think childhood home. They had a very nice museum and drove your points home very well. I bought a Deutche Grammaphone CD of Beethoven’s 9th performed by the Berlin Philharmonic (it says I’m misspelling these but I can’t double-check due to typing this on cell phone) with the conductor Karigan. It was recorded in Oct 62 , during the Cuban Missile Crises, only a couple blocks from the Berlin Wall. There was a chance Berlin would be glass at any moment. Very powerful music. Being a 1970’s rock fan with a huge stereo and speakers I like to feel the music sometimes. I mean literally feel the vibrations go through me. That recording of the 9th towards the end played on a good sound system is one of the best pieces of music I have ever heard. While listening to it I often reflect Beethoven could only imagine it and ponder the absolute genius

[@giannottister]

His deafness has enabled him to create a new universe of sound. With his latest string quartets he has added a fourth dimension to music.

[@japhyryder66]

In my opinion, there has never been, nor will there ever be, a greater musical genius than Ludwig van Beethoven.

[@davidkeller6156]

👍

[@owlcowl]

Certainly a debatable assertion, altho i agree with it. But if there are any other contenders, we can be sure that Justin Bieber is not among them.

[@CW-rx2js]

Agreed.

[@galahadthreepwood]

There's always Brahms, standing on Beethoven's shoulders

[@BlackRootsUNLIMITED]

Made me think about my late Father. He loved Classical Music "like a problem". He had a head statue of Chopin on his desk, that he got from Chopin's birth place when he visited there around 1958 or there about (the year was inscribed at the bottom). I'm glad I've listened to all sorts of Music in my life. Greetings from Uganda 🇺🇬👊🏿🖤

[@katesjanice]

The closest thing we have in modern rock music is Kerry Livgren, who cannot read or write musical notation & never took music lessons. He started listening to classical music as a toddler & his great aunt told him all about the lives of the Great composers, like Beethoven. He would write classically based prog rock in his head, then taught the various parts to his bandmates. What an amazing composer, orchestrator, lyricist, & multi-instrumentalist. No wonder he is known as "the Maestro."

[@shawn13mertle13]

When I was young a large portion of the music we listened to was normal pop. My Mom brought home a few classical albums. I remember Beethoven and Brahms and I liked them very much. I was only about 5. At about 2-3rd grade we had a field trip to the Seattle Symphony. They played Beethoven's Fifth. I have never to this day heard anything like it. Thank you again for continuously bringing great musical content and explaining it for all. There is so much amazing music on the planet that deserves a voice. Some of it doesn't even land in our musical scale. It is great to listen to a person who is highly educated about music break it down for everyone. Beethoven has always been my personal favorite.

[@stanley2004]

The Fifth is glorious.

[@Camaink1]

That 32nd sonata Is so Chopinesque! Good old Beethoven! Hbd maestro!

[@mdp303]

A couple of those Sonatas have been kicking my arse for years. willhelm Kenpf did some great recordings as well. Learning all of them seems imposait I guess not. I can never get tired of the effortless control by these great pianists.

[@wildbillnj1975]

I've always had a mathematical mind, and long before I knew anything about music theory, I've always pictured music in my mind as a series of intertwined threads weaving through and around each other. If the musical staff is a linear graph of time, the melody bobs up and down with the individual notes but the chords they're outlining are sort of like a moving trend line. And you keep adding more lines to represent the bass, rhythm, and other instruments, perhaps each with their own color which may lighten or darken with intensity. That's my baboon brain version of it. I have to imagine Beethoven being able to craft a full 3-dimensional model of a piece in his head, seeing every interval, dissonance, etc intuitively.

[@mlsarchitect]

For me, language is a continuum that starts with body language and the fundamental cries of pain and joy that all animals use and closes a circle with mathematical annotations and theorems. Music is at the fundamental end alongside the songs of the whales that sound across oceans. Unfortunately we don't really understand music anymore because we only need to press a button or turn a knob to hear 3 minutes in the background. In Beethoven's time, if you couldn't sing, whistle or play some instrument you lived without the your own music. Singing, whistling and playing an instrument brings you to a whole different relationship and understanding of this language. Something alien to most (say 80 or 90%) of humanity in developed, western society.

[@runwillrobinson]

Rick says Beethoven was compelled, and I sense that you are compelled as well. Much respect and peace to you.

[@scotttisdel138]

Beethoven's fugue subject has the same ascending fourths pattern as Yes' "And You And I". Never noticed this before. Coincidence? Love the Late Beethoven Piano Sonatas, one of the summits of music.

[@TheGreatTimSheridan]

Such a beautiful rendition. It kind of makes you understand how sweet the music was when he only heard it in his heart.