When he was still a young man, Beethoven decided to compose a few improvisations on a music by Pergolesi. He devoted months to this task and finally had the courage to publish it.
A critic wrote a full page review in a German newspaper in which he launched a ferocious attack on the music.
Beethoven, however, was quite unshaken by his comments. When his friends pressed him to respond to the critic, he merely said:
‘All I need to do is to carry on with my work. If the music I compose is as good as I think it is, then it will survive that journalist.
“If it has the depth I hope it has, it will survive the newspaper too.
“Should that ferocious attack on what I do ever be remembered in the future, it will only serve as an example of the imbecility of critics.’
Beethoven was absolutely right.
Over a hundred years later, that same review was mentioned in a radio programme in São Paulo.
{ 142 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
Goooooooood !
….love the music and the photos
very original
Bravo !!
lovely story paulo, very helping.
This is a very good story Paulo. Thank you for sharing and guiding us. Love Avantika
It’s only when we do something that people criticise. Strength and belief in what we do can rise above criticism. Dark little clouds do cover the moon once in a while but not forever. The moon shines bright. On a positive note, a little bit of criticism hepls us to excel.
bien, que importa la critica tal vez sea la fortaleza que te inspira :p
Even then!
Beethoven believed in his dream.
‘Don’t give critics the importance they don’t have.’
- Paulo Coelho
Was thinking about a lovely out-of-print book that I used to go to visit in a bookshop years ago in Toronto. Cezanne’s Watercolors.
‘Don’t be an art critic. Paint. There lies salvation’
- Paul Cezanne
Obrigado, Love
Jane
Ludwig is one of the characters that have generated more controversy in the annals of humankind, difficult to understand a personality like his, however, I found him someone brave, long-suffering, misunderstood, like any genius, despite the ferocity that he defended his beliefs, he was a very noble and sensitive human being, he felt and lived to the fullest, maybe the fact of thinking, feeling and living like that, taked him to that fate…
all we have to do is to believe in what we are doing, because the first step in our way for seeking greatness is to believe.
thanks paulo for inspiring us.
He knew his worth and that’s why he was unshaken by the critic. If we know we are doing something that we feel is right and we think is right, we should continue to do it, regardless of what other people think and say.
← Previous Comments