Beethoven was creating masterpieces even when he was completely deaf. How did he do it, curious? By 30, he composed piano concertos, 6 string quartets, 1st symphony.
“For last 3 years my hearing has grown steadily weaker. I can give you some idea of this peculiar deafness when in the theatre I have to get very close to orchestra to understand performers. From a distance I do not hear high notes of instruments, singer voices. Sometimes, I hardly hear people who speak softly”.
Beethoven had heard, played music for 3 decades of his life. Inherently knew how instruments, voices sounded, how they worked together. Deafness was a slow deterioration rather than a sudden loss of hearing, so he could always imagine what his compositions would sound like? Would sit at the piano, put a pencil in his mouth, touch the other end of it to soundboard of the instrument to feel vibration of the note!
What a great, gifted musical genius…