Beethoven And His Deafness

Beethoven hearing started to fail him in his 20’s. So how could he have written such fulfilling music without hearing it? What was the impact on his music?

Join Andy Bromberger for this fascinating lecture as she discusses the significant mental, physical and creative effects of going deaf on a composer of Beethoven’s stature, including suicidal thoughts and difficult interpersonal relationships. The conversation will delve into Beethoven’s Conversation Books and Heiligenstadt Testament, which respectively reveal mechanisms for living with deafness and expressing despair.

About Andy Bromberger

Andy Bromberger (ASCM, BMus perf) started a music appreciation series over a decade ago called ‘Coffee, Cake and Culture”. CCC looks at music history- exploring music’s social history and the political, environmental and societal circumstances which influenced composers, performers and the listening public. She has given regular talks at the Art Gallery of NSW, takes tours – nationally and internationally with Renaissance Tours, has a podcast called “Coffee Cake and Culture – the music podcast” and last year was the animateur for the inaugural Oberon Chamber Music Festival.