toe CHaPren o, BeeEHovEN 18 rH New AGH
17905, contin a a tronic condition, sometimes worsening and some-
ees stabilized: but his hearing was ot wholly destroyed. Hs sition
‘was probaly somthing ie that described by the twenith- century poet
David Wright who became dain boyhood! and wrote forty years te
1 mo ire in worl of comple sence Theis sh hig 2
lute des. Coming from one whose aural nerve extinct
‘ttement maybe tle at autora TT of ig ue
rates nrg with he oe... ine unig deo
raion of ih espe il. carne cies. 28
Beathoven sured fom eataches and ging in the eas frm of
its. Load noses were pail wht. Mier and depression over os
insocia contac trough dees lemon in his tr to Wepeler and
Aennda and inthe Heigenstad Testament, pbb ever abated but
ese may ave et hati incteasing slaton from sme ofthe fi:
vobty aa hypoeiy ofthe sx wad could have is benefits Oa sketch
lef of 1906, when he was busy comparing the end version of Leone
{nd the Quartet Opus 39 No.3, Bethoven wrote
reas tbe it th win ef cy hee noi poe
‘efor you w write sper dp all cial ota —Let urd
ns nolonger ea seces—eveninart™
etween about IMD and 1812 he could stil pay marvel, and his abil
iy to improvise continued for many years thereat In 808 he wa ti
‘abe to ply th ist performance ofthe Fourth Piano Concerto sre
tha the premiere of the Fith,in 18, was sven by Frei Scheie,
but by then the work had alte been pablshed by retopt & Harel,
nd sine the performance took pce i the plishrs ity, Leip ft
vay fram Vienna, Beethoven couk! not hve played there i ny ase
His ability to perform in public certainly dette by abot 1811-12, a
iets known pli appearance a pans was a ate as 1415, when he
Played for the assembled heads of tae atthe Congress of Vienna aco
avin singe nhs ery song Adee” Yet dept hs ations he
ondostedrehcarsal ofthe Foc and of Laos, and he soul stil hea
nd judge details of plano performance by other.
‘was only ater 1812 hit i perception f spec deteriorate othe
point that people ad shout ging around 1816 he had sane
leumpet tn 1818 a the ae of forty-seven, he hepa to se conversation |
books. Thee wee tables or bundles of notepaper, sometimes singe
faded sheets on which visitors would write down qurstions nd temuks
‘fl kinds, with Beethoven answering ald, uns he waned otto be
head ase sometimes id in which ase he wrote an aner hime He