How many famous composers of the past had disabilities?

[classicarts]

I was just wondering how many of the well known composers of the past had disabilities.  I  will start with Beethoven, in his early thirties, whom experienced hearing loss which later resulted in complete deafness in his life.   

[thierry13]

Mozart ad Tourette syndrome.

[tompilk]

Mozart ad Tourette syndrome.

Seriously? That's really bad... i never knew that.

[hodi]

what about schumann?!?!
you are always forgetting this great composer
his 4th finger of his right hand was paralayzed because of some mechanism he made to try and strengthan his fingers

[zheer]

Rachmaninoff , Beethoven , Shubert.

[thierry13]

what about schumann?!?!
you are always forgetting this great composer
his 4th finger of his right hand was paralayzed because of some mechanism he made to try and strengthan his fingers

He didn't try to strenghten his fingers, he tryed to stretch them.

[thierry13]

Rachmaninoff , Beethoven , Shubert.

I know about Beethoven, but Schubert ? Rachmaninoff ?

Schubert died from syphilys, and Rachmaninoff from Cancer, but I wouldn't call it a "disabality"é Rachmaninoff had anormally large hand too, but I wouldn't call it a disability either...

[zheer]

Shubert needed glasses, and Rachmaninoff had serious pain in his hand head and body.

[fuel925]

Schumann had a mental disability... was it schitzophrenia?

[thierry13]

Schumann had a mental disability... was it schitzophrenia?

That is only at the end of his life. When he turned crazy. It doesn't count.

[musik_man]

Smetana also went deaf.

[classicarts]

I really think this is the most fascinating topic for the reasons that back in those days they were alot diseases very rampant, and cure were very limited, if not practically extinct.  So, I know that people back in those days, merely half to one-third of the population were effected one way or the other.   

[thalbergmad]

Zichy had no right hand.

[mrchops10]

Shubert needed glasses, and Rachmaninoff had serious pain in his hand head and body.

Needing glasses is a disability?

[alessandro]

Beethoven, depressed; Chopin, depressed; Schubert, depressed; Tschaikovsky, depressed; Van Gogh, depressed; Kurt Cobain, depressed...
Kindly

[phil13]

What hasn't been said...

Chopin has constant tuberculosis.

Also, this isn't a composer, but there was a German man born without any arms, and he became a concert violinist by learning to play with his feet. He was really good, too.

Phil

[sevencircles]

Rachmaninoff had anormally large hand too

Not that big actually. Van Cliburn propably had bigger hands but Rach could stretch his unusually long pinkies to a 90 degree angle and that´s why he could play 13:s.

I still wonder why he rolled 10:s in a way that someone with average hands would do.

Just listen to his Rach 3


Rach was also a big guy in general, being 6´5 tall he was more  then a head taller then most other men in his days.


More composers with dissabilites would be
Bruckner and Satie who both had Aspergers syndrome, a mild form of Autism.

[perfect_pitch]

Shubert needed glasses....

I take offence to that... Bad Eyesight is Not a disability. Being Blind is... being near-sighted isn't.