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Published: Oct. 17, 2021, 4 a.m.

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An episode from 10/17/21: The death Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) came after a long series of illnesses. By then, friends and admirers and hangers-on sought out the composer in his last days. Tonight, I read Jan Swafford\'s account of Beethoven\'s death in his incredible biography,\\xa0Beethoven: Anguish & Triumph.

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Swafford\\u2019s book also includes one of the most moving details from any biography: that is, the supreme joy the composer experienced\\u2014even as he was wracked with illness and pain\\u2014when a complete set of Handel\\u2019s scores arrived by post. In his last days, Beethoven was able to sit up and swim through these books, hearing the music in his head.

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Don\\u2019t forget to support Human Voices Wake Us on Substack, where you can also get our newsletter and other extras. You can also support the podcast by ordering any of my books: Notes from the Grid, To the House of the Sun, The Lonely Young & the Lonely Old, and Bone Antler Stone.

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Any comments, or suggestions for readings I should make in later episodes, can be emailed to humanvoiceswakeus1@gmail.com.

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