Beyond the deep scowls and wild hair, who was this 19th-century giant?
February 27, 2025
By: Noel Morris ©️2025
- Ludwig van Beethoven had a hearty laugh and smiled a lot (he had good teeth). He loved to play practical jokes, and his music abounds with humor—musical humor, which sounds good, even when he’s throwing you a wink and a nudge.
- He could spin mind-blowing architecture from a single musical fragment, yet never learned the multiplication table.
- The famous bust of Beethoven, seen atop many pianos (including Schroeder’s), is based on a life mask from 1812. To create the image, sculptor Franz Klein stuck straws into Beethoven’s nostrils and applied plaster to his face. Beethoven panicked, as it was difficult to breathe. Many artists use the mask as the basis for Beethoven’s likeness; hence the widely seen image of the composer wearing a tight frown.
- Beethoven had an abusive, alcoholic father. As a child, Young Ludwig shielded his mother from his father’s outbursts and helped raise his brothers. Beethoven grew into an extremely sensitive man, easily hurt and somewhat untrusting. Ironically, he was the slippery one when selling his works.
- Beethoven worshipped nature. In the summer, he disappeared into the woods for hours—always with pen and paper in his pocket to jot down ideas.
- Hearing loss wasn’t Beethoven’s only malady. Through much of his adult life, he suffered from headaches, diarrhea, and vomiting.
