10 Curious Facts About Beethoven | Part 1
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David Hackett21. March 2023
Ludwig Van Beethoven still defines much of our popular conception of an eccentric, chaotic genius. But how much do we really know about him? We examine some of his lesser-known habits and idiosyncrasies.
He believed that his deafness was caused by an argument with a singer
Beethoven was notorious for having little time for performers who couldn’t cope with his musical demands. A disagreement with a certain prima tenore in 1798 was typical. The two had been vigorously rowing for several minutes before Beethoven – for reasons best known to himself – felt he could get his point across better by throwing himself melodramatically onto the floor. When he got up, he found an unaccustomed buzzing sound in his ears, and his hearing was never the same again.
He was shockingly messy
Beethoven is said to have lived in around 68 rented accommodations during the latter 35 years of his life. It is debatable whether he always got his deposits back, as he was utterly hopeless at keeping any of them in an orderly condition. Countless visitors attest to the near anarchy of Beethoven’s living quarters, with half-eaten dinners, upturned inkwells and unemptied chamber pots lurking beneath a sea of scattered manuscript paper. “No furniture was safe from him; least of all a valuable piece,” Beethoven’s friend Ferdinand Ries lamented. “All was over-turned, dirtied and destroyed.”
Despite his squalid habits, he was meticulous about personal hygiene
… though probably a little too much so. There was something almost fetishistic about Beethoven’s bathing habits. A common morning ritual was to walk déshabillé around his living room,
pouring large jugs of cold water over himself while singing at the top of his voice. This would cause frequent conflict with both his servants (who laughed at the spectacle) and the owners of the apartment below, as puddles of water would leak through the ceiling. Beethoven’s early biographer, Anton Schindler, eventually suggested the composer should have his floors covered with asphalt.
He had a surprisingly strong support network
Whether it was boxing an assistant’s ears for misunderstanding an important horn entry in his Eroica Symphony, walking out of his own performances if he sensed someone chatting in the audience, or throwing hard-boiled eggs at waiters when dissatisfied by the level of service in a restaurant, Beethoven wasn’t the most average type in social settings. More often than not he could be downright objectionable. Yet he had a gift from inspiring loyalty and friendship from those around him (including several wealthy supporters), most of them recognizing the hard-working, uber-talented artist underneath all the drama.
His friends were so appalled by his old, soiled clothes that during the night they would discreetly replace them with new ones…
Beethoven would get up the next morning, put on the replacement outfit and not so much as bat an eyelid.
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