Beethoven: How did he create music without hearing?

Explore the creative process behind the Ninth Symphony by Beethoven.

The problem: By the time Ludwig van Beethoven began composing his Ninth Symphony, he was almost completely deaf. Imagine trying to write one of the greatest musical masterpieces in history, without being able to hear it.

What if: Instead of giving up, Beethoven asked himself a radical question: "What if I could feel the music instead of hearing it?"

Rather than seeing his deafness as an end, Beethoven turned it into a challenge and developed new ways to stay connected to the music he could no longer hear.

The creative process:

• Step 1: Hear the music in his mind. Beethoven relied on his deep knowledge of music theory to mentally "hear" the notes as he composed, using memory and imagination instead of sound.

  
  

• Step 2: Feel the vibrations. He pressed his ear against the piano or placed his hands on it to sense the vibrations of the notes. Some stories even suggest he cut the legs off his piano, letting it resonate directly through the floor for stronger sensation.

• Step 3: Adapt his style. Beethoven’s later compositions leaned more heavily on lower-pitched notes, likely because he could physically feel deeper vibrations more clearly than higher tones.

The result: One of the most powerful symphonies ever written.

The Lesson: Losing something as profound as hearing is more than just a challenge, it’s deeply emotional and life-altering. But as Beethoven showed us, even circumstances like this, don’t necessarily erase our ability to create meaning. They push us to find new ways forward.

Sometimes, our most meaningful work comes not in spite of our struggles, but because of them.