Ludwig van Beethoven · every age

What was Ludwig van Beethoven doing at 55?

Started going deaf at 28, wrote the Ninth hearing nothing

1. c. 1826

   His nephew Karl attempted suicide

   Karl survived and joined the army. Beethoven was devastated.

   Source: en.wikipedia.org
2. Mar 1826

   Op. 130 premiered with the Grosse Fuge as its finale

   The publisher persuaded him to write a lighter ending later.

   Source: en.wikipedia.org
3. Dec 1826

   Fell ill with dropsy: the final illness began

   Four operations to drain fluid followed.

   Source: en.wikipedia.org

Portrait: Portrait: Joseph Karl Stieler (1820), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · source