Eric James wrote:

>I think your information is basically correct, although B.'s deafness was
>a slow process.  It took a number of years I think (I could be wrong about
>this) before he was totally deaf.

Many years.  The first signs of deafness appeared when he was about 26,
but not until 1824 he was completely deaf.  The process of getting deaf had
its ups and downs and a deep down happened in 1813, followed by a stable
situation and another deep down in 1816.  The first conversation books date
from the beginning of 1818 and probably he had already started using these
books in 1817.

>In the final years of his life people would communicate with him by
>writing in notebooks while B. would continue to speak (or shout).  These
>notebooks still exist and offer a tantalizing one-sided glimpse into the
>later years of his life.

Fascinating!  I've read them all, insofar still existing.  A few years
after Beethoven's death Schindler destroyed the greater part.  Of about
400 books we now possess only 137.

Joyce Maier
www.ademu.com/Beethoven