Was Beethoven a misanthrope?

Question

It's obvious from what I've read that he wasn't exactly a happy person overall.

Answer 1

I like your question. Beethoven was by no means a misanthrope. He was just moody, misunderstood, extremely passionate and with a propensity for being a bit overbearing.

An example of some of these traits would be the effects of his relationship with his nephew whom he loved dearly. After the death of his brother, Beethoven strives to gain sole custody of his nephew (the only child of the three Beethoven brothers thus sole heir of the Beethoven name ) Karl van from his sister-in-law whom he deemed "immoral". After a trail that lasted 5 years Beethoven eventually won sole custody of his nephew. I'll spare you all of the dark, depressing details of his guardianship, but Beethoven never ceased to consider his nephew not only the sole heir of the Beethoven name but also the sole heir of Ludwig's musical being. Beethoven's overbearing (but well-intentioned) parental "care" and musical tutelage (despite the childs less than impressive musical ability depending on which source you're reading) drives the boy to runaway to his mother frequently despite Beethoven's strict commands not to, and attempt suicide twice.

Despite the dreary details I truely believe that Beethoven loved his nephew and always had the best intentions. He's just overbearing, moody, and even a bit awkward in his dealings with people....and even his family.

It also seems that he had a dark, sarcastic since of humor. After meeting a very young prodigy in Liszt for the first time and giving him a couple of difficult exercises to execute on the piano (which Liszt performed easily), Beethoven is extremely pleased and says something along the lines of "well I be damned, that little bastard" or something like that. He's impressed, smiling, and likes him, yet he's still calling Liszt a bastard. I love it!

Combine all of this with the grim reality that in your late 20's you had your first hint that you were going deaf and you'd be mistaken for a misanthrope as well.

But, it is not possible for a misanthrope to compose a symphony (his 9th) and attach the text of "Ode To Joy" to it [find it's english translation online].

It's not possible for a misanthrope to compose another symphony (his 6th) and jam it full of musical references to nature (bird calls, thunderstorms, etc.) and people having a party. You could also view this 6th symphony as Beethoven's testimony to the joys of hearingand listening as he increasingly becomes more and more deaf. It's as if he's saying, "I may be losing my hearing, but I'm no fool. I remember the indescribable joys of hearing, the chirping of birds in the morning and the impact of rain during a thunderstorm....and I miss them."

Or just read the Heiligenstadt Testament. Surely, this is not the musings of a misanthrope.

Although, there may have been times in his life at which he had ill feelings for people, in the grand scheme of things Beethoven was not a misanthrope.

Great question. Thanks for providing a venue for me to unload all of this pent-up music info.

Answer 2

He was very temperamental. He almost hit a prince in the head with a chair.