Beethoven wrote music in his head while out on walks
Summary
- Beethoven wrote music in his head while out on walks
Details
- Beethoven would walk daily regardless of the weather
- His mind was busy writing music: when people would greet him, he would not even see them.
References
Quotes
No less a figure than Beethoven, Benjamin tells us, via a quote from dictionary-writer Pierre Larousse, wrote music in his head while out and about:
In the first years of this century, a man was seen walking each and every day – regardless of the weather, be it sunshine or snow – around the ramparts of the city of Vienna. This man was Beethoven, who, in the midst of his wanderings, would work out his magnificent symphonies in his head before putting them down on paper. For him, the world no longer existed; in vain would people greet him respectfully as he passed. He saw nothing; his mind was elsewhere.