A Composer's Journey: Deafness, Blindness, and the Mind

Hey it’s Uncle Ludwig! I’ve seen better AI renderings, but this is still one of the better ones. As with nearly all trained composers, Ludwig had perfect pitch; he didn't need a piano to compose music. However, he did experiment with dissonance, requiring the occasional loud banging on a piano to check his work. Occasionally, he could sense the sound by placing a metal rod against the piano and the auditory bulla of his skull, which almost acted like a tuning fork.

Deafness is certainly an affliction that can be devastating for a composer, but it's not the worst. Some might argue that Beethoven's deafness allowed him to approach music differently, with fewer distractions. The 'outbursts' in some of his later works, such as the last piano sonatas, string quartets, and the Ninth Symphony, might be a musical depiction of what he heard in his mind.

Impediments of Blindness and Deafness

Several renowned composers faced sensory losses that seemed to impede their creations, yet they didn't let these challenges stop them. For instance, Smetana, Bach, Handel, and Joaquin Rodrigo all became deaf, while Bach, Handel, and Rodrigo also lost their sight. These losses were significant, but they didn’t prevent these artists from crafting their masterpieces. My mother, also blind, was a fine piano teacher, concert pianist, and organist. She dabbled in composition but knew she lacked the talent for it. And of course, there are legendary figures like Andrea Bocelli, Stevie Wonder, and Ray Charles, who flourished despite their disabilities.

The Worst Affliction: The Loss of Mind

However, much worse would be the loss of one's mind. Take the case of Robert Schumann, who composed brilliant music but suffered a neurological disorder that worsened over time. Psychologists studied his life and the accounts of his doctors, concluding that schizophrenia was the most likely culprit. Schumann began hearing a loud ringing in his ears—a high A—which interfered with his ability to hear music properly. His compositions seemed more 'agitated,' and his friends claimed they could hear his mental deterioration in his music. After an attempt to commit suicide by drowning, Schumann was committed to a sanitarium but did not survive long there.

A Heartbreaking Case

There is a film called 'Song of Love' that features Katharine Hepburn as Clara Schumann, who was also a fine composer in her own right. The film gives us a sanitized but fairly accurate look at their lives and their friend, Johannes Brahms. In the film's concluding scene, Robert Schumann is in an asylum, playing a "new" piece for Clara - it was 'Traumerei' from his work 'Kinderszenen', which he had written many years earlier. He didn’t recognize Clara when she visited, and he hadn’t eaten for some time. He allowed her to hold him on her lap for a bit before dying a day or two later. Such a sad and inescapable reality.

Compensation and Suitability

Yes, losing one's mind leaves only sporadic flashes of brilliance, and there is no workaround as there might be with deafness or blindness. In the case of deafness, one might use amplification technologies, sound pillows, or bone conduction techniques. For blindness, there are screen readers, braille, and voice-to-text technologies. These accommodations can help the artist maintain their ability to create and perform their art despite the challenges.

However, when the mind goes, there is no technological fix. As with the case of Robert Schumann, the potential for continued creation and performance is extinguished, making it the most severe affliction a composer could face.

A Special Anecdote: Ray Charles

I promised a Ray Charles story. Pull up a chair. Ray was performing in Las Vegas when a drunk heckler started making trouble. He ignored it, but the heckler persisted. Ray called a pause and asked the heckler to mind his business. The heckler threatened to beat Ray up, saying he was a blind man. Ray suggested they meet in half an hour, after his show, and fight then. Sure enough, when the heckler showed up, Ray shut off the lights and gave him a good beating. My mother laughed and said, "Yeah, never fight a blind guy—you can't fake 'em out."

Ray's strength and resilience are a testament to the human spirit, and his story serves as a reminder of the complexities and challenges faced by musicians and artists, especially when dealing with afflictions such as deafness, blindness, and mental illnesses.