Did An Irregular Heartbeat Help Make Beethoven a Music Legend?

By: ActiveBeat Author

318x400xshutterstock 229540372 318x400.jpg.pagespeed.ic.2bz7tPUhHJptWyJG A7c resized 600

Several researchers believe that a significant heart problem could represent a critical factor in determining Ludwig van Beethoven’s success in music.

Many people are aware that, when he died in 1827, Beethoven was deaf. But he also struggled with a serious heart condition known as arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat. (It’s also worth noting that experts suspect Beethoven was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, lead poisoning, and syphilis when he passed away.)

Joel D. Howell, an internal medicine specialist, says he believes this irregular heartbeat can be detected in Beethoven’s work. “When your heart beats irregularly from heart disease, it does so in some predictable patterns,” Howell says. “We think we hear some of those patterns in his music.”

The researchers also point to Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major (Opus 130), which they say features “a short paroxysm of atrial tachyarrhythmia.” Beethoven even wrote that the song should be played with a “heavy heart”.

Howell and the other researchers recognize that their findings will encounter skepticism. However, they feel that, “in highly charged passages of certain pieces, the possibility of cardiac arrhythmia can lend a quite physical aspect to one’s interpretation of the music in question. These passages can seem, in an unexpected literal sense, to be heartfelt.”

Source: www.activebeat.com

Recent Posts

Disability Pride Month: Honoring History, Empowering Futures
As Nurses, we witness the incredible resilience and unique journeys of individuals every single day. July marks an important occasion: Disability Pride Month. Disability Pride isn't about denying the...
Read More
FNU 2025 Diversity Impact Conference
2025 Diversity Impact Conference Rising Strong: Better Together to Advance Wellness Initiatives for All Join Frontier Nursing University for their 15th annual healthcare workforce conference! This...
Read More
Cultivating Year-Round LGBTQ+ Affirming Care
Pride Month in June is a vibrant and essential time for celebration, advocacy, and raising awareness for the LGBTQ+ community. We see rainbow flags adorning hospitals, clinics, and communities, and...
Read More

Subscribe to Email Our Newsletter

Education_Award_Square