Was Ludwig van Beethoven deaf all of his life?
No. Beethoven knew he was going deaf by 1802, he also knew there was no salvaging his hearing. He was born probably sometime in 1770 (everything I’ve read said he was baptized that year, so I have to presume.) From excerpts of letters and such he wrote about his ailment, it seems he may have had tinnitus (constant ringing in the ears.) After he fell completely deaf, he still composed, but rarely played in public.
