"Nature held out open arms of help and solace
for the healing of his afflicted soul "
taken from : A Day with Beethoven page 6 / Hodder and Stoughton. May Brown.
Recently I have been doing a character study about the most famous music composers of all time: Ludwig Van Beethoven
My discoveries and research have led me to his love of nature and the countryside.
Beethoven spent most of his days walking in nature.
Beethoven suffered with progressive hearing loss which led him to depression and isolation.
Nature helped him cope with his afflicted soul.
Nature became his nourishment and his solace. A place for him to hear the music inside his mind. He carried a notebook everywhere, and he wrote down his musical ideas that he could hear in his inner ear, He worked while he walked.
Like Beethoven, I love nature too
I live near parks and lakes and often retreat to these green spaces, for rest, clarity and peace, always feeling that bit better for doing so.
Nature can calm me and ground me. Like Beethoven I have been known to take a notebook, or my diary, sometimes my latest magazine, or I even take some photos to capture the beauuty of nature.
Walking and being in nature have good health benefits for our wellbeing too, I try to make this part of my week. More than anything nature takes me away from the daily demands of the day, my business, errands, chores and inbox/ emails, and brings me back refreshed, to my true self
I end today's character study with some reflection questions for you and I encourage you to
visit my You Tube Channel and listen to the collection of the Beethoven pieces on my playlist called "Beethoven " Thank you for reading.
Guided reflection questions for you:
Think of a time when you last went for a walk-in nature? How did you feel?
Do you go out into nature / park or lake regular?
Do you have a favorite place? What makes this place special for you?
What aspects of nature do you like best?
Do you take anything with you? Such as notebook, you phone, lunch, or a drink
Have you listened to Beethoven's music called the pastorale?
Visit my YouTube channel called Piano with Samantha and take a look at my playlist
