Ludwig van Beethoven may have gone deaf from lead poisoning caused by a penchant for fish and wine, Harvard scientists suggest. The composer was beset by health issues throughout his life ...

Yet, despite also suffering from tinnitus, he continued to write music – including the Ninth Symphony, in 1824. He was believed to have composed his final masterpiece while completely deaf.

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist ... Beethoven's fate sadly being deafness. Listen out for: The opening motif, it is repeated many times throughout the movement.

In letters to his friends, Beethoven wrote that he led a miserable life and avoided social functions because he found it hard to tell people that he was deaf. Despite suffering from hearing loss ...