第十篇：How Deafness Makes It Easier to Hear

　　Most people think of Beethoven's hearing loss as an obstacle tocomposing music. However, he producedhis most powerful works in the last decade of his life when he was completelydeaf.

　　This is one of the most glorious cases of the triumph of will overadversity, but his

　　biographer, Maynard Solomon, takes adifferent view. 1 . In his deaf world Beethoven

　　could experiment, free from the sounds ofthe outside world, free to create new forms and

　　harmonies. Hearing loss does not seem to affect the musical ability of musicianswho become deaf. They

　　continue to"hear" music with asmuch, or greater, accuracy than if they were actually hearing it

　　being played. 2 . He described a fascinating phenomenonthat happened within three months:" my former musical experiences began toplay back to me. I couldn't differentiate between what I heard and realhearing. 2 After many years, it is still rewarding to listen to theseplaybacks, to ' hear' music which is new to me and to find many quietaccompaniments for all of my moods. "

　　How is it that the world we see, touch, hear, and smell is both"out there" and at the same time within us? There is no betterexample of this connection between external stimulus and internal perceptionthan the cochlear implant. 3 . However, it might be possible to use thebrain's remarkable power to make sense of the electrical signals the implantproduces.

　　When Michael Edgar first" switched on" his cochlear implant,the sound's he heard were not at all clear. Gradually, with much hard work, hebegan to identify everyday sounds. For example," The insistent ringing ofthe telephone became clear almost at once. "

　　The primary purpose of the implant is to allow communication withothers. When people spoke to Eagar, he heard their voices "coming throughlike a long-distance telephone call on a poor connection. " But when itcame to his beloved music, the implant was of no help. 4 . He said," I play the piano as Iused to and hear it in my head at the same time. The movement of my fingers andthe feel of the keys give added ' clarity' to hearing in my head. ''

　　Cochlear implants allow the deaf to hear again in a way that is notperfect, but which can

　　change their lives. 5 . Even the most amazing cochlear implantswould have been useless to Beethoven ashe composed his Ninth Symphony at the end of his life.

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