Buh-Buh-Buh-Buuuummmmm.
Beethoven. We’d know those four notes anywhere.
Even if you don’t love music.
Even if you don’t love coffee.
Yes. You heard me write. And right. Beethoven. Music. Coffee.
It appears he was a bit of a coffee snob.
Here’s the thing about him. That great composer, whose full name was Ludwig van Beethoven, was famous for his routines. Routine. Routine. Routine. He was probably OCD, like me.
Anyway, one of the best-known stories about him involves coffee. According to several biographers, Beethoven insisted that every cup be brewed from exactly 60 coffee beans. Not 58. Not 62. Sixty. He supposedly counted each bean by hand before grinding them. Why sixty? I do not know.
This is just one story that shows Beethoven’s reputation for precision and discipline.
Coffee had become increasingly popular throughout Europe during the 1700s and early 1800s. Vienna, where Beethoven spent much of his adult life, was renowned for its coffeehouses. They were gathering places where artists, writers, philosophers, and musicians exchanged ideas. They read newspapers and debated politics and culture.
But one thing is certain. Beethoven certainly enjoyed coffee, whether in cafés or at home.
The composer’s attention to detail extended far beyond his morning coffee routine.
He was known for revising his musical scores repeatedly, sometimes making hundreds of changes before he was satisfied. There are many sketchbooks filled with crossed-out notes and rewritten passages.
Ironically, Beethoven gradually lost his hearing beginning in his late twenties. Yet despite becoming almost completely deaf, he continued composing some of the greatest works in all of history, including his monumental Ninth Symphony.
Beethoven reportedly drank coffee every morning, making it an essential part of his daily routine. Maybe that’s where the music came from. His famous Fifth Symphony begins with the iconic four-note motif often described as “fate knocking at the door,” although Beethoven himself never confirmed that interpretation. I think it was the sound of his coffee grinder in motion.
So there it is. The next time you down a cup of coffee from just any old place, you might want to smile at the thought of Beethoven patiently counting sixty beans, one by one, before beginning another day of creating music that would echo across the centuries.
“””””””””
“To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.” — Ludwig van Beethoven
“””””””””
“Don’t only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets.” — Ludwig van Beethoven
“”””””””
“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” — Émile Zola
“””””””””
“Coffee is a language in itself.” — Jackie Chan
“””””””””
