Me than in others , a sense which I once possessed in the greatest perfection ..." Even in his darkest moments , however , Beethoven never abandoned hope . Despite his hearing loss , he was determined to find a way to continue living a life full of music . He used a variety of hearing aids to try to increase the amount of sound he could take in . When composing music at the piano , he would put one end of a pencil in his mouth and place the other end against the instrument so that he could feel the notes . Although Beethoven was able to continue composing music , it became increasingly difficult for him to perform in public . When Beethoven presented Symphony No .9 in Vienna in 1824, it was his first time on stage in over ten years . Since that day , Beethoven ' s Symphony No .9 has become one of the most famous and treasured pieces in the history of classical music . The first movement starts quietly , but all of a sudden the whole orchestra breaks into an energetic theme . You can soon feel the determination - a quality Beethoven understood well because of his hearing difficulties - coursing through the music . The next two movements are full of desperate lows and uplifting highs which perhaps reflect both his suffering and his strong will to fight it . The music moves through technically difficult sections with ease , showing his genius as a composer . Finally , in the fourth movement , he connects all of the different variations into a joyful chorus . As Beethoven ' s last great work , his Symphony No .9 was also a grand finale to his life - he died less than three years after the concert in Vienna , aged 56. For his amazing achievements and for his determination even in his darkest days , Beethoven is regarded as one of the most remarkable musicians who ever lived .