Adventures with Beethoven

Scene Three

The Heiligenstadt Testament

At only thirty-one years old, Beethoven was struggling with hearing loss, which was rapidly deteriorating, leaving him almost completely deaf. He had first noticed problems with his hearing about six years previously and had tried every treatment suggested to him by doctors; however, nothing worked. Over the years, Beethoven began to think that the “cures,” such as almond oil and cold baths, were actually causing more harm to his hearing and that he would never find a cure. By 1801 Beethoven had started to tell a few friends in confidence of his struggles. His hearing loss was becoming more noticeable and affecting his relationships. Friends and admirers would approach Beethoven in the street to talk to him. Since he couldn’t hear them, Beethoven would often just stare at them, leaving many to think he was either unpleasant or unintelligent. 

In 1802 Beethoven took a trip to the city of Heiligenstadt on the recommendation of his doctor, Johann Adam Schmidt. Although now a bustling suburb of Vienna, at the time Heiligenstadt was a peaceful village in the countryside, where Beethoven enjoyed spending time in nature. The doctor hoped that time away from the busy, noisy city would allow Beethoven’s ears to rest and recover, perhaps allowing him to regain some of his hearing. Not only was Beethoven struggling physically, but he was also in a bad place emotionally. He met Julie Guicciardi, an Austrian countess, in 1801 and became her piano teacher. He became infatuated with the seventeen-year-old who was a renowned beauty. The next year, upon the completion of his Piano Sonata No. 14, Moonlight, he dedicated the work to her and confessed to his secretary that he was in love with her. Her feelings are unknown, but most likely were not reciprocated since she married Count von Gallenberg, an amateur composer himself, in 1803. 

By October 1802 Beethoven was deeply depressed not only due to his physical struggles but also because of another romantic failure. Having spent six months in Heiligenstadt, hoping for some change to his hearing, Beethoven finally came to the realization that his hearing would not ever return and would most likely continue to get worse. In this highly depressed state, he began to write a version of a last will and testament addressed to his brothers Karl and Johann. Beethoven did not intend for them to read it until after his death. The letter begins with an explanation of his disability and how he has dealt with it for the past six years without telling people. 

Since he didn’t want to admit his deafness, Beethoven felt the need to withdraw from society rather than deal with the difficulties of his disability in public. The heartfelt and emotional letter is filled with despair. At times Beethoven even contemplated suicide as an option because he felt so isolated from society, “...Such a situation brought me almost to despair, any more and I would have ended my life.” As tragic as this document can be in places, by the end Beethoven resolves to persevere, writing, “Only my art prevented me from doing it (suicide). I couldn’t leave the world until I had produced all that I felt was within me.” He vowed to be patient and endure so he could write the music that he still heard clearly in his head. 

He closed the letter with instructions to his brothers about dividing his estate fairly between the two and gave advice to his brother Karl. He also thanked his friends, especially Dr. Schmidt and Prince Lichnowsky. Beethoven also implored his brothers not to forget him after his death. Interestingly, Beethoven only mentions one brother, Karl, by name, leaving a blank where Johann’s name should have appeared. No one knows why Beethoven did this; however, scholars have suggested several different reasons. Some guess that since Beethoven intended for this to be a somewhat legal will explaining that his money should be left to and divided between his brothers, he may have been unsure whether to use the name Johann, which he went by, or by his full legal name, Nikolaus Johann. Others have suggested more emotional reasons such as Beethoven’s complicated relationship with his brothers, for whom he acted as a father figure after the death of their mother, or repercussions from his relationship with his father, who was also named Johann. 

Of all the surviving documents relating to Beethoven, this may be the most personal and profound. In this rather short letter, we can understand Beethoven’s torment and sadness, having to withdraw from society because he can’t function within it easily due to his hearing loss. We also see the profound inspiration art can have. Beethoven knows he has more music to share with the world and can’t imagine his life being over before he can share the music he can still hear. Beethoven returned to Vienna and began work on a new symphony. This work, Symphony No. 3, was completed in 1804 and was Beethoven’s most ambitious work yet. It was the longest symphony ever written and had innovative harmonic and emotional content. This work began Beethoven’s celebrated “Heroic Period” from which many of his most important and best-loved works date. Although Beethoven had to struggle with his hearing loss for the rest of his life, he came through the despair of those dark days in Heiligenstadt and was able to share his artistic genius for the next twenty-five years.