Beethoven composed a total of five symphonies while he was dealing with significant hearing loss. His later works, particularly the Ninth Symphony, which premiered in 1824, are especially remarkable considering he was almost completely deaf at that time.
Beethoven began to lose his hearing in his late twenties, and by the time he composed his later symphonies, he had devised ways to continue creating music despite his condition. He used a combination of inner hearing, written notes, and instruments to gauge the sound of his compositions. The experience of composing music while deaf adds a profound layer to his genius and highlights his remarkable ability to transcend physical limitations.