Â鶹APP

The Mystery of Beethoven’s Death: 9 Things To Know About The Last Days And Death of Beethoven

Throughout his life, Ludwig van Beethoven suffered from several illnesses. We are all aware of his battle with deafness and how it affected his mental health by making him feel extremely alone and frustrated. His chronic inflammatory bowel syndrome and abdominal pain, however, persisted. Moreover, he had syphilis and likely had the rheumatic disorders rheumatoid arthritis and chronic severe depression.

And let’s not overlook the fact that Beethoven struggled with alcoholism. He drank enough wine for long enough which seriously harmed his liver. At the age of 56, and shortly after he had completed the replacement Finale for his String Quartet Op. 130, Beethoven’s body had had enough. Read on and see what else you need to know about the last days and death of Beethoven. 

1. Medical professionals hesitated to give him medical attention

, , via Wikimedia Commons

On December 1, 1826, in the dead of winter, Beethoven was travelling back to Vienna in an open carriage. He stayed one night in an unheated inn before finally returning home, where he was experiencing a feverish chill.

Beethoven’s urgently required medical care appears to have been delayed for a while. His regular doctors weren’t available, and the backup doctor declined to see him because Beethoven had yelled aggressively at him before.

2. When the doctors examined him they found several issues

When Beethoven was finally seen by a doctor on December 5, he was diagnosed with pneumonia, swollen feet, and, most concerningly, jaundice. Beethoven’s liver was indeed failing, as his doctors had properly predicted, and four times the accumulated fluid in his body had to be removed by an abdominal incision.

This must have been quite uncomfortable without anaesthesia, but it did offer some respite. The local press started to report on his approaching death. To cheer him up, one doctor suggested iced punch to ease the pain, while the publishing business Schott brought him a dozen bottles of his preferred Rhine wine. Perfect for someone with a failing liver.

3. There were two people who witnessed his death

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Two close friends and musicians, Anselm Hüttenbrenner and Ferdinand Hiller, were present for Beethoven’s dying moments. During his illness, they stayed by his side to soothe and support him. They experienced the sadness of the occasion and the loss of a musical genius together as witnesses to his passing.

4. His close friends and admirers worked to preserve his legacy 

Anselm Hüttenbrenner and Ferdinand Hiller, who were close friends and admirers, played important roles as custodians. They were entrusted with looking after Beethoven’s personal items, manuscripts, letters, and other artefacts to protect them from disappearing into history. They worked hard to publicise and spread Beethoven’s music, guaranteeing that future generations would be inspired by and influenced by  Beethoven.

5. Beethoven’s final public appearance took place on March 27, 1827

On March 27, 1827, in Vienna’s Kärntnertor Theater, Beethoven had his final performance in front of the general audience. The legendary composer and pianist walked to the stage to direct and perform two of his most astonishing works: his “Missa Solemnis” and the Ninth Symphony—despite his deteriorating health and close to total deafness.

It was a significant occasion, and Beethoven’s appearance drew a sizable crowd of admirers anxious to see the maestro perform at his peak. That was a touching moment since Beethoven was clearly having physical difficulty and needed to be turned around by one of the voice soloists to see the resounding acclaim he could no longer hear.

6. An autopsy was conducted on his body on March 26, 1827

, , via Wikimedia Commons

An autopsy of Beethoven’s body was performed after his death on March 26, 1827, to identify the source of his multiple medical problems. His attending doctors and additional medical professionals conducted the evaluation.

Sadly, during the examination, Beethoven’s skull was cut out, and these people—including some fans—took some of his hair and bone bits as souvenirs. In light of the fact that it violates current ethical guidelines for managing the deceased, this removal of his remains is currently a matter of debate and regret.

7. Beethoven faced a series of health challenges that marked the final chapter of his life

Beethoven was dealing with a number of health issues and it wasn’t made any better by his alcoholism which led to his liver failing. It didn’t seem that he took very good care of himself so his immunity must have been lower. Aside from that, the last straw was when he was walking in the rain and he got pneumonia in late November 1826 and with time his condition deteriorated. 

8. Beethoven’s funeral took place on March 29, 1827

Is it a coincidence that on the day Beethoven was buried, it rained? the weather has been described as gloomy and the rain definitely didn’t make it any easier, however, 20,000 people lined the streets to pay their respects to him, even though it was expected that there would be a low turnout but he was a big celebrity at the time so it wasn’t always surprising that people showed up.

He was buried at the cemetery to mark his final resting place and with time his remains were transferred to Vienna’s Zentralfriedhof, where a memorial was erected in his honour.

9. Ignaz von Seyfried was the conductor and composer of his funeral service 

Beethoven didn’t indicate what music should be played at his own funeral, thus Ignaz von Seyfried, a conductor and composer, was in charge of all musical aspects of the occasion. Between Beethoven’s passing and the funeral itself, Seyfried adapted two of Beethoven’s 3 Equales WoO 30 pieces—originally written for a trombone ensemble—for a men’s chorus and added a Latin text.

In March 2023, genetic testing on samples of Beethoven’s hair indicated that he had a genetic predisposition for liver disease and had been infected with Hepatitis B in the months before his passing.