Is The Heart The Key To Beethoven’s Success?

Perhaps no other composer’s health has been dissected as much as Ludwig van Beethoven. He continued producing great works of music despite deafness, while also living with other ailments including cirrhosis and syphilis.  A report suggests that some of his genius can be attributed to an irregular heartbeat.

A broad spectrum of researchers from musicologists, cardiologists and historians focused on three of Beethoven’s compositions and studied their beats and change of rhythms. They noticed that, whether fast or slow, rhythms were irregular in certain sections. This type of music was in sharp contrast from the music his contemporaries created, making Beethoven unique.

Given all of Beethoven’s  ailments, why would heart disease relate directly to his work as a composer?

The Los Angeles Times explains: “He composed the bulk of his music even as the sounds of the world around him dimmed — and that, say the authors of the new study, may have made him exquisitely attuned to his own heartbeat.”

Dr. Joel Howell, one of the authors, offers further explanation to The Science Times:  “The synergy between our minds and our bodies shapes how we experience the world. This is especially apparent in the world of arts and music, which reflects so much of people’s innermost experiences.”

What do you think? Do you think the state or our health can reflect and inspire our professional work?

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