The 26th was the anniversary of the day that Beethoven died way back in the year 1827. Ludwig Van Beethoven was one of the most influential and brilliant composers who has ever lived. He was just over 56 years old when he died and recent evidence has been discovered that indicates he most likely died of lead poisoning. Most thought that he died of pneumonia after walking in the rain, which he had done many times. Beethoven loved nature and enjoyed walking along the Rhine river in Bonn, Germany. He enjoyed walks in all weather conditions. He was reported to have never been sick a day in his life.

It is believed that he began to lose his hearing at about the year 1796 and suffered from a severe form of tinnitus. The lead poisoning would explain his loss of hearing...but some have attributed it to beatings by his father, or syphilis, or typhus. He was totally deaf for the last ten years of his life and yet continued to produce some of his most amazing compositions. His deafness did eventually make it near impossible to perform in concert which was a major source of income for him. He did manage to conduct his 9th Symphony while totally deaf. There is a well-sustained story that when he was done with the concert, he heard no applause and began to weep. Then the first chair violinist turned him around toward the audience to show him that he had been given a standing ovation.

I had intended to write something on the 26th of March to honor my most favorite Composer of Music, but school and other things weighing heavy on my mind have delayed me. I was not able to really focus enough to write much of anything. I know that most of you will understand my situation. I encourage you all to do some research on the life of Beethoven. He was a very complicated and interesting man. He lived an amazing life and claimed to have gained inspiration from nature. He was religious and loved the idea of democracy. He longed for Germany to have the kind of government that had been born in the United States of America which was at that time still a very young country.

American Idol 6 - Top 11 - Jordin Sparks Performance!

This was one of the best performances I have seen on American Idol. She gave me goose bumps!

What Accent Do You Have?

I took this test to see what kind of accent I have and it is not all that accurate in my opinion. Most people who hear me talk don't think I am from Chicago or somewhere in Wisconsin. The generally do think I sound more like I am from Virginia or that I don't have an accent at all. Oh well, it was a fun quiz to take anyway.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North   You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
Philadelphia
The Northeast
The Midland
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz