Very interesting discourse about Beethoven's deafness, several more available (in german) on YT. Thanks for the link Markus. Although it doesn't specify the nature of the hearing aid connected to the piano which was used, I assume that all hasn't yet been said in this matter. G.
On Sun, Nov 12, 2017 at 2:14 PM, Markus Lutz <[1][email protected]> wrote: I'm not sure that this is a myth. There is a youtube video in German by the medical society of Mainz about Beethoven's deafness and his relation to Johann Nepomuk Mälzel (the inventor of the metronome). Beethoven used his ear trumpets and Mälzel also constructed a mechanism that was set on the piano and transported the sound directly to the ear (around 46m). [2]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Lj8Qy2Ilk&t=2965s Best regards Markus Am 11.11.2017 um 23:31 schrieb G. C.: A myth then apparently. Interesting though, that: The "phenomenon" of bone conduction is generally credited as being discovered in the 1500s (though some say it can be traced back to around 2AD). A physician, mathematician, philosopher and all-around brilliant fella' by the name of Girolamo Cardano noticed that it was possible to hear through a rod or spear when placed between the teeth. He detailed his findings in his controversial publication De Subtilitate, but the information hadn't really been applied to anything, let alone to help the deaf or hearing-impaired, until later. G. On Sat, Nov 11, 2017 at 7:44 PM, John Mardinly <[1][3][email protected]> wrote: Beethoven's deafness was caused by "inner ear" problems, sometimes called labyrinthitis, a form of nerve deafness, not mechanical problems, such as damage to the eardrum or the small bones of the inner ear. As such, it is unlikely that the bone conduction would have been any use to him. A. John Mardinly, Ph.D., P.E. -- References 1. mailto:[4][email protected] To get on or off this list see list information at [5]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- Markus Lutz SchulstraÃe 11 88422 Bad Buchau Tel 0 75 82 / 92 62 89 Fax 0 75 82 / 92 62 90 Mail [6][email protected] -- References 1. mailto:[email protected] 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Lj8Qy2Ilk&t=2965s 3. mailto:[email protected] 4. mailto:[email protected] 5. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html 6. mailto:[email protected]
