LEIDEN, Netherlands, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Composer Ludwig van Beethoven chose lower-frequency notes in his later works to compensate for his progressive deafness, Dutch researchers say.
Beethoven first mentioned his hearing loss in 1801 at the age of 30, complaining he was having problems hearing the high notes of instruments and voices, and the deafness progressed to become total in the years before his death in 1827.
Now a trio of scientists in the Netherlands has analyzed Beethoven's string quartets, grouping the works into four ages, ranging from early, 1798 to 1800, to late, 1824-26, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.
Counting the number of notes above G6, which corresponds to 1,568 Hertz, they found the use of the higher note decreased as the deafness progressed.
Beethoven was using more middle- and low-frequency notes because he could hear them better when music was performed, the researchers said.
But surprisingly, in the later works written when he was totally deaf, the high notes returned, they said.
"When he came to rely completely on his inner ear, he was no longer compelled to produce music he could actually hear when performed, and slowly returned to his inner musical world and early composing experiences," the researchers at the Netherlands Metabolomics Center in Leiden said.
