Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Modern Melody: Tinnitus non Cantabile


Often caused by prolonged or sudden exposure to loud noises, tinnitus (pronounced tin-NIGHT-us or TIN-nit-us) is becoming an increasingly common complaint, particularly among soldiers returning from combat, users of portable music players, and aging baby boomers reared on rock ’n’ roll.Although there is no cure, researchers say they have never had a better understanding of the cascade of physiological and psychological mechanisms responsible for tinnitus. As a result, new treatments under investigation — some of them already on the market — show promise in helping patients manage the ringing, pinging and hissing that otherwise drives them to distraction.
(Other causes include stress,
some kinds of chemotherapy,
head and neck trauma, sinus infections,
and multiple sclerosis.)

Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770-1827)

Around 1796, Beethoven began to lose his hearing.He suffered a severe form of tinnitus, a "ringing" in his ears
that made it hard for him to perceive and appreciate music; he would also avoid conversation. He left Vienna for
a time for the small Austrian town of Heiligenstadt, where he wrote his Heiligenstadt Testament. He resolved to
continue living for and through his art. Over time, his hearing loss became profound: there is a well-attested
story that, at the end of the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, he had to be turned around to see the tumultuous
applause of the audience; hearing nothing, he began to weep. Beethoven's hearing loss did not affect his ability
to compose music, but it made concerts — lucrative sources of income — increasingly difficult. As a result of
Beethoven's hearing loss, a unique historical record has been preserved: he kept conversation books discussing
music and other issues, and giving an insight into his thoughts. Even today, the conversation books form the
basis for investigation into how he felt his music should be performed and his relationship to art.




Around 1796, Beethoven began to lose his hearing.He suffered a severe form of tinnitus, a "ringing" in his ears that made it hard for him to perceive and appreciate music; he would also avoid conversation. He left Vienna fora time for the small Austrian town of Heiligenstadt, where he wrote his Heiligenstadt Testament.
He resolved to continue living for and through his art.
Over time, his hearing loss became profound: there is a well-attestedstory that, at the end of the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, he had to be turned around to see the tumultuousapplause of the audience; hearing nothing, he began to weep. Beethoven's hearing loss did not affect his abilityto compose music, but it made concerts — lucrative sources of income — increasingly difficult. As a result ofBeethoven's hearing loss, a unique historical record has been preserved: he kept conversation books discussingmusic and other issues, and giving an insight into his thoughts. Even today, the conversation books form the basis for investigation into how he felt his music should be performed and his relationship to art.

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:a1uES-QZwI4J:www.pdf-noten.com/Beispiele/Btv_Bsp_III_Kst%26Bag_en.pdf+Modern+Melody:+Tinnitus+non+Cantabile&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6#7
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/health/research/01tinn.html?em&ex=1207195200&en=6f028091d95aad08&ei=5087%0A

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