The famous composer stood before one of the largest orchestras ever assembled, ready to conduct them as they played the notes of his composition. A crowd had filled every seat in the theatre and were anticipating a night of music like none other. They were not going to be disappointed!
The symphony this evening would feature a surprise – 18-year-old Henriette Sontag and 20-year-old Caroline Unger singing the soprano and alto lines, respectively. Having vocalists was a rarity, perhaps a first, for a symphony.
This would be the final symphony ever created by this guest composer. His name? Ludwig van Beethoven. It was on this day in 1824 that his Ninth Symphony was performed at Vienna’s Theater am Kärntnertor. What made this symphony so special is that Beethoven was now deaf.
“When it came to the premiere of his massive Choral Symphony (Ninth Symphony), Beethoven insisted on conducting. The orchestra hired another conductor, Michael Umlauf to stand alongside the composer. Umlauf told the performers to follow him and ignore Beethoven’s directions.
This performance was three years before he composer’s death in March 1827.”1
“Beethoven was several bars off from the actual music by the time the piece concluded. As he could not hear the applause, Unger had to turn him to face the audience as they hailed him with five standing ovations, raising their hats and handkerchiefs in the air.”2
Beethoven died on March 26, 1827 at the age of 56 after a debilitating illness and several surgeries. “Only his friend Anselm Hüttenbrenner … was present. According to Hüttenbrenner, at about 5 pm there was a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder: “Beethoven opened his eyes, lifted his right hand and looked up for several seconds with his fist clenched … not another breath, not a heartbeat more.” … An autopsy revealed Beethoven had significant liver damage, which may have been due to his heavy alcohol consumption, and also considerable dilation of the auditory and other related nerves.”3
As a deaf man, Beethoven could still “hear.” Since the deafness wasn’t from birth, Beethoven was able to continue composing based on the imagined sounds of the notes and chords. His Große Fuge, Op. 133 was written from this imagination. The piece is beautifully complex, dynamic, and over 16-minutes long!
Let’s switch our direction for a moment and consider the words of Luke 8:4-8. “And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: 5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
Did you know that the hearing Jesus speaks of has nothing to do with our auditory abilities? Beethoven was able to “hear” even though he was deaf. A person with hearing loss and dependent on hearing aids or a person with total hearing loss can still hear what the Lord has to say. While the message traditionally comes through the ears, nothing changes in a life until the heart hears the message.
As Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables one day, the disciples asked why the Lord spoke to them that way. Jesus’ response was, “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.” (Matthew 13:13) Though the ears worked fine, the heart wasn’t receiving the message.
“For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” (Matthew 13:15)
How well do you and I hear? Does our heart listen to what the Lord has to say? Is there a willingness in our spirit to do what the Lord tells us to do? “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” (Revelation 2:29)
1https://www.classicfm.com/composers/beethoven/guides/deaf-hearing-loss-composing/
2https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-7/beethoven-ninth-symphony-debuts-vienna
3https://www.classicfm.com/composers/beethoven/guides/deaf-hearing-loss-composing/
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