Beethoven

I just finished listening to a series of lecture on Beethoven's Life and Music. And here's what I learned: Beethoven was intense, gloomy, driven, uncouth, frustrated, angry, and, above all, possessed by a wellspring of demonic creativity. And it seems that almost all of his crazed personality quirks and sublime musical gifts stem from his childhood and his relationship with his parents. Dad used to beat him mercilessly, tortured him with endless hours of practice at the piano. Mom did nothing to stop the abuse. His famed deafness was also probably a result of a fever he had when he was a child. Music and isolation became his world. And these factors brought forth fiery creative forces.

The whole time I was listening to these lectures I was thinking about Baby J and children in general. Would Beethoven have achieved such mythic stature had he not suffered as a child? My guess is probably not. My guess is that if Beethoven's father had not been so cruel, music in Western culture would not be what it is today. I'm sure Beethoven would have gone on to be a great composer, but without the pain and isolation and rage that drove his artistic growth I doubt he would have been compelled to produce the great works that he did.

I know I'm oversimplifying here but it would seem that all of Western music hinges on a single unhappy childhood. And I'll bet many great artists, the ones that really changed history, also had unhappy lives as children. Maybe by trying to be a decent, reasonable parent I'm actually stymying the growth of a great artist. Maybe if I refuse to feed Baby J her beloved Cheerios, she'll go on to be a powerful creative force and redefine art in the Western world.

It's doubtful. I guess I'll keep the Cheerios flowing freely.