The “Heiligenstadt Testament” offers a focused look at the heart and mind of Ludwig van Beethoven during a period of profound personal crisis. Beethoven scholars acknowledge that the psychological (and spiritual) aspect of the “Heiligenstadt Testament” is most evident in the way it parallels the language used in Christus am Oelberge or Christ on the Mount of Olives (1803), the artist’s only oratorio (Cooper 19; Jander 17). At the same time, Beethoven’s reference to a specific and general audience as well as his use of occassional metaphors and rhetorical question also serve a purpose. These elements indicate Beethoven’s struggles with his present physical and psychological conditions and his struggle to overcome his despair. In “Heiligenstadt Testament,” Beethoven structured the language and literary techniques in ways that reflect ‘shifts’ that convey a personal crisis and his own approach to address such crisis. The product of the author’s linguistic and literary choices is a portrait of an artist who identified with the passion of Jesus Christ.
Beethoven employed a language in the “Heiligenstadt Testament” that is wholly descriptive of the extent of his suffering. In the letter, the artist began with the reference to his physical ailment and then proceeded to the psychological and social aspects of his condition. In reference to his worsening hearing problem, Beethoven wrote that, “for six years now I have been hopelessly afflicted” (304). The artist did not stop with the description of his physical health condition; he also referred to his anxiety, loneliness, and thoughts about death while thinking about his long-standing suffering. In particular, the letter conveys that Beethoven also contemplated about committing suicide during the peak of his personal crisis, saying that: “I would have ended my life” (305). This idea about suicide suggests that Beethoven indeed reached a point where he felt an ultimate misery in his life. Within the context of the narratio, the progression of the problem herein—from the more manageable physical condition up to the psychological and existential issue—speaks about the seriousness of the author’s personal crisis. It should be noted that similar to the text of Christus, Beethoven referred to himself as an outcast due the loneliness brought by his suffering (Cooper 20). The parallelism between Christ’s experience as an outcast in the oratio and Beethoven’s sense of social isolation implies that the artist considered his experience as an extreme form of suffering—too extreme to the point that it was comparable to Christ’s passion on the cross.
The language of extreme suffering in “Heiligenstadt Testament” shifts to a language that conveys a sense of resignation or acceptance of fate. Beethoven accomplished this shift by welcoming death, choosing to be patient over his impending fate, and hoping to overcome his trial through relentless determination. The resignation expressed in this letter is also reminiscent of the Christian way of surrendering all concerns to God. Beethoven hoped that his determination “will remain firm to endure” (305). According to a scholar, this line parallels the text of the Christus that states, “I am here to answer Thy call” (Cooper 20). Beethoven thus resigned everything to fate in the same way as Jesus Christ surrendered everything to God the Father. The shift from the mere description of suffering to an expression of resignation suggests that Beethoven actively engaged in finding a possible resolution to the physical and psychological crisis that he experienced at the time he wrote this letter. In addition, the linguistic similarities between the artist’s only oratio and “Heiligenstadt Testament” indicate that this personal crisis involved his own spirituality not as a source of problem, but as a source of solution.
From suffering and resignation, the language of the letter shifts to a more optimistic content and tone, thus highlighting that Beethoven attempted to remain hopeful despite his troubled state of mind. This shift has two components. First, the artist expressed that amid suffering and agony, he still wanted to do good to his fellow human beings. Speaking to God, Beethoven expressed that beneath his soul “dwells the love of mankind and the desire to do good” (305). The artist also resolved to make such optimism more personal by referring to contentment and pure joy as his ultimate goals, especially when the time of death comes. The virtues of love and goodwill as well as the expression of vision of ultimate happiness to be found in God are also present in the texts of Beethoven’s Christus. Interestingly, scholar Birgit Lodes explains that the similarities between Beethoven’s personal journey and the figure of Christ do not serve to highlight the divine qualities of Jesus; instead, she believes that the artist was more interested in the “Christian concept of love” (221). Hence, in the letter, Beethoven saw the concept of love in Christianity as one of the resolutions to his personal crisis. This idea could be interpreted as the artist’s desire to produce more music and artistic works—not for his own benefit, but for sharing his God-given talents to his fellow human beings. Toward the end of the “Heiligenstadt Testament,” the readers learn that Beethoven arrived at a point where his suffering has transformed into a form of epiphany.
Aside from shifting tones in language, Beethoven effectively articulated the dynamics of his personal crisis in the “Heiligenstadt Testament” through shifts in the audience or recipient of his message. The details unquestionably identify Beethoven’s brothers as the specific recipients of this important letter. In the beginning of the letter, the artist defended himself from what appeared as a generally unfavourable perception of his family regarding his character. At many points, Beethoven also mentioned his specific audience, recipients, or readers, especially when he gave instructions. For example, he instructed his brothers to ask Dr. Schmidt of his “malady” following his death (305). This and other instructions affirm the fact that Beethoven wanted the letter to appear as his ‘last will and testament’. However, the artist also wrote this letter for a confessional, reflective purpose. This purpose required him to constantly turn his attention toward a general audience, recipients, or readers. In other words, he was also speaking to humankind in this letter. This claim is specifically evident in the line where he expressed, “Oh fellow men, when at some point you read this, consider then that you have done me an injustice” (Beethoven 305). Here, the artist was no longer just speaking to his brothers; he was universalizing his experience, or at least attempts to make it relatable, by telling his fellow human beings that suffering is not exclusive to one or few individuals. This larger audience thus operates to strengthen the case of resolution that Beethoven himself contemplated upon.
Furthermore, Beethoven also used a number of literary devices in this letter to create shifts related to his view about his personal crisis. In the letter, the artist reiterated his suffering by comparing his hope to the “withered” “leaves of autumn” as well as the disappearance of the “beautiful days of summer” (Beethoven 306). He wrote these metaphors on a separate leaf of the letter. These descriptions remind the readers that, despite an expressed optimism in the middle part of the letter, Beethoven’s mind was still unstable during the time of its writing. This instability is highly suggestive of the psychological dimension of his personal crisis. Yet again, the Heiligenstadt Testament is replete with references about Beethoven’s desire to be more optimistic and productive regardless of his developing deafness. He takes the readers back to a rhetorical question placed at the end of the first part of the letter: “yet even so I should be happy, for would it not free me from a state of endless suffering?” (Beethoven 305). This rhetorical question elicits a strong message about the role of willpower in changing the course of one’s life, especially in the middle of a personal crisis. Despite Beethoven’s awareness that his life was full of suffering, he also recognized that he needed to be patient to overcome adversities and attain pure happiness. By and large, this rhetorical question counters the metaphors of suffering by suggesting that similar to the figure of Christ, all he needed was to surrender his concerns to God and continue with his life.
On a final note, there are a number of reasons why Beethoven’s “Heiligenstadt Testament” stands out among the artist’s many letters addressed to his family, friends, and contemporaries. He wrote this letter in October 1802 to his brothers Carl and Johann as a ‘last will and testament’, specifically through the instructions written at the latter part of the document. More than this function, this letter offers a closer look at the psyche of Beethoven during a time when his hearing continued to deteriorate. In the letter, he contemplates about suicide then proceeds to a hopeful note evoking a sense of stoic resignation for his fate, the desire to express goodness despite his condition, and the anticipation for an everlasting joy. These shifts have been captured through a language that recognizes suffering and the importance of resignation. Similarly, this letter involves a language that speaks of love, goodwill, and hope on the part of its author. Written with specific and general readers/audience in mind, Beethoven likewise articulated his personal crisis as a problem that required a resolution. Literary devices such as metaphors and rhetorical question also provided tools to demonstrate the progressive and shifting moods related to the author’s state of mind. In any case, Beethoven associated his lamentations with the Christian notions of suffering, goodwill, love, and hope.