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Beethoven music shaped by gradual deafness, say experts

專家說，逐漸失聰形塑貝多芬的音樂

◎國際新聞中心

Composer Ludwig van Beethoven’s gradual deafness may have influenced his compositions, experts have announced. As his hearing got worse, he favoured lower and middle-range notes in his music. An analysis of Beethoven’s music has found that once he became totally deaf, he began to use high notes again.

專家聲稱，作曲家貝多芬的逐漸失聰，可能對他的作曲帶來了影響。隨著聽力越來越差，貝多芬的音樂用較多中低音域的音符。分析貝多芬的音樂發現，他全聾之後，又開始用高音。

Researchers say the findings explain Beethoven’s music, which has always been divided into three periods. Researchers from the University of Amsterdam, have found his early quartets used a variety of high notes.

研究人員說，這項發現解釋了貝多芬的音樂為何總被認為分成3個階段。阿姆斯特丹大學的研究人員發現，他早期的四重奏使用大量高音。

By 1810, when he composed the opus 74 and 95 quartets, the amount of high notes he used dropped significantly, tending towards lower frequency notes. But the higher registers increased again in 1825, when he wrote the late string quartets opus 127 to 135 and it was thought he had become completely deaf.

到1810年他創作作品74與95號的四重奏時，高音使用大幅減少，較常用低音；但1825年，當他創作晚期的弦樂四重奏作品127到135號時，高音又再度增加，此時他被認為已經全聾。

The report’s author Edoardo Saccenti said："These results suggest that, as deafness progressed, Beethoven tended to use middle and low frequency notes, which he could hear better when music was performed. 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 earlier composing experiences."

報告作者沙森提說：「這些結果顯示，隨著失聰越來越嚴重，貝多芬傾向使用演奏時他可以聽得較清楚的中低音。當完全仰賴內心的耳朵時，他不再強求創作演奏時他真正可以聽到的音樂，慢慢回到內心的音樂世界以及早期的作曲經驗。」

新聞辭典

composition：名詞，作曲。例句：At music school I studied piano and composition.（我在音樂學校學鋼琴跟作曲。）

register：名詞，音域。例句：music written mainly for the lower register of the clarinet（主要為單簧管低音域寫的音樂）。

compel：動詞，強迫，強求。例句：As a school boy he was compelled to wear shorts even in winter.（當他是學童時，即使冬天也被強迫要穿短褲。）