Beethoven’s
Personality and Music:
The
Introverted Romantic
by
Elizabeth Wagele
Beethoven was an introvert, not an
extravert. He had one of the richest inner lives humankind
has ever known, was reported to have been withdrawn from eleven
on, and preferred nature to man, saying, “I live only
in my music.”As an adult, he sought out solitude –
every summer he’d move to the country to a quiet house
so he could to create his compositions in peace and walk in
the woods. I will examine his personality from the point of
view of the eight Myers-Briggs preferences briefly and more
extensively show how his music and personality together express
the nine Enneagram personality styles.
Beethoven's innovative contributions to musical form and the
ease with which he broke with tradition reflect his preference
for intuition rather than sensation.
In discussing the MBTI or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, we
usually talke about relationships in connection with the feeling
preference. In Beethoven's case, his feeling went into his
art. His relations with people left much to be desired: he
was often overly sensitive and quarrelsome. He was probably
an introverted intuitive with feeling type (INFJ).
His extraverted, sensate, and thinking functions
were also essential to being a successful musician, however
– composing, teaching, conducting, playing, working
with publishers, getting commissions, working out contracts,
and so on. Music is one of those hobbies and professions that
especially puts all eight functions to use. Beethoven
is said to have had little or no sense of order when it came
to his household affairs, but he had to have had immense discipline
when it came to learning how to master the piano and the principles
of composition. His personality was full of complexities and
contradictions.
Beethoven and the Enneagram
The Enneagram has been used by spiritual seekers in the Middle
East and Asia for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. In
the1970's, in the West, it was adapted for typing personalities
and for use as a psychology tool. That Beethoven's music is
characterized by great diversity and spiritual power makes
it particularly effective for demonstrating the nine styles
described by the Enneagram. There is some overlap of Enneagram
types with the MBTI functions and types (See the charts on
page 167 of "Are You My Type, Am I Yours?")
According to Enneagram theory, when we are young and learning
to cope with life, we strengthen personality traits associated
with one type. We become more flexible as we learn to access
and balance traits from all nine types.
I’ve typed Beethoven as a Four in the Enneagram, a Romantic,
because beauty, drama, melancholy, depression, and a feeling
of being unique were major themes in his life. He lived for
expressing what was in his heart and he taught this to others.
Beethoven was original and successful, yet he felt something
was missing. He was widely known for his symphonies and chamber
works, but he lamented the fact that he was not a famous opera
composer. He longed for a special heart
connection but fell in love with unavailable women and his
yearning for a child went unsatisfied. Even though he moved
52 times looking for a home that felt right, it never materialized.
In the Enneagram symbol, each point on the circle connects
by lines to two other points, called arrows. As a Four-Romantic,
Beethoven’s lines go to the One-Perfectionist and the
Two-Helper.
Beethoven’s Perfectionist arrow can be seen in his ability
to be exacting in his music and in his ideals. He believed
strongly in Brotherhood, Freedom, and God. Though
Beethoven was often in despair - he felt like a pariah for
being deaf, for example – the Perfectionist in him could
see his problems as challenges to overcome. You can see this
in his life story and hear it in his music.
The Two-Helper arrow can be seen in the responsibility Beethoven
took for his orphaned brothers and his nephew.
Four-Romantics are often compassionate, but they can take
out their easily hurt feelings on other people. When Beethoven
was rude, he could really be rude. Sometimes he'd write an
apologetic letter the next day to the person he’d offended.
Beethoven was able to produce a large body of work of the
highest quality, thanks to the need to express his rich inner
life, his incredible intelligence, and his ability to work
hard. When his music slipped into mediocrity, it was often
because he tried too hard to please the crowd.
Beethoven could laugh and tell jokes, but he was said to have
had a turned down mouth. He suffered from headaches, arthritis,
intestinal problems, and swollen feet. Preparing his coffee
with 60 beans per cup couldn't have helped his health any.
He was often grumpy and disagreeable.
In the winter of 1827, on the way home from a trip, he caught
a cold that turned into pneumonia. Serious problems with his
liver developed, and he died several weeks later at the age
of 56. At his death he was a hero to thousands of people who
knew and loved his music.
You can find music in Beethoven’s sonatas that expresses
emotions that control each Enneagram type - the passions
of anger and fear, for example; and the virtues we
connect with transformation, such as humility and serenity.
We usually talk about the Enneagram in terms of theories and
ideas. Beethoven gives us a chance, however, to experience
its beauty and power on a direct feeling level. In the Enneagram,
the following words are important: PASSIONS
are our faults or our fixations – the compulsions where
we’re stuck. VIRTUES are the way out
of the passions - what we have when we are no longer trapped
in our compulsive ways of behaving.
How Beethoven’s personality and music relates
to Enneagram Type One, often referred to as The Perfectionist.
Beethoven studied with Haydn, but was critical of him for
overlooking some mistakes he had made in his counterpoint
lessons. Haydn wasn’t perfect or demanding enough for
him. Most Ones try to keep their passion, which is
resentment, from showing. They’re usually fairly traditional
and well-behaved. Beethoven was neither. He had some perfectionistic
traits, but he wasn’t a “Perfectionist.”
He was rebellious and broke through many boundaries concerning
harmony, form, and the musical traditions of the time.
The low repeated chords at the beginning of Beethoven’s
“Waldstein” Sonata reflect the physical grounding
of type One. They mimic the way Perfectionists check and recheck
to make sure that everything is right. To generalize, introverted
Ones are more interested in how they themselves are doing,
while extraverted Ones want to make sure other people are
doing things right.
Beethoven shows his connection to type One in his idealism,
his self-criticism, and in the balance of his compositions.
He particularly liked Kant’s concept of duty and strongly
believed in fostering spiritual values. He believed in a personal
God and didn’t think it was right to discuss his own
religious beliefs.
One’s are often angry that others aren’t trying
as hard as they are to be good. Their virtue is serenity,
which requires an attitude of acceptance - a belief that the
world is already perfect and doesn't need improvement. The
soothing Rondo in Sonata opus 2 #2, expresses the calm and
peaceful feeling One-Perfectionists can have after they have
admitted their resentment and learned to not be overly critical
or self-critical.
How Beethoven’s personality and music relates
to Enneagram Type Two, The Helper.
Two-Helpers stand for love and harmony. Beethoven was not
a Two, but he was always in love. The noble women of Vienna
were fond of him. He would give them piano lessons and they
forgave him when he was rude or lost his temper.
Helpers sometimes take the role of a gentle echo behind a
more forceful friend, relative, or boss, as in the beginning
of Sonata opus 90. They tend toward extraversion, express
their feelings dramatically, and tend to experience many mood
swings.
Two's feel angry when they give and give without receiving
enough appreciation and think they're the only person who
can supply what another needs, including advice. This is the
passion of pride that Two's need to overcome.
The antidote or virtue for pride is humility. Taking
up a spiritual practice or becoming involved in the arts or
other personal interests can help Two’s become more
self-contained and less dependent on attention and praise.
It helps Helpers to go inward and listen to the music they
like instead of what someone else likes. Accessing their Four-Romantic
arrow helps them with this.
Young Beethoven’s life may inspire Two’s to become
more independent: when his father tried to get him to act
cute, show off, and be a child prodigy like Mozart, he simply
refused.
Two’s can be influenced by the positive sides of their
arrows: the spirituality of the Four-Romantic and the confidence
of the Eight-Asserter.
How Beethoven’s personality and music relate
to Enneagram Type Three, The Achiever.
The Three, is among the most active, extraverted, and competitive
of the types.
Three's want to impress the world, so they do everything they
can to present a favorable image, including making up stories
about their accomplishments. Not being truthful is their passion.
Achievers sometimes believe their image and practical abilities
are more valued, and therefore more valuable, than their true
essence. They can be irritated by others' inner worlds, especially
if they are trying not to go to their own.
In Enneagram theory, the numbers on either side of each type
are called wings. Beethoven had wings at points 3 and 5. His
Five wing is in evidence as his thoughtful side. His Three
wing could be seen in the effort he put into striving to get
ahead: composing, practicing, arranging for commissions, publication,
and the rest of the business side of his work.
In Sonata opus 31 #1 Beethoven pokes fun at his 3-Achiever
wing, the side of himself that wants to impress. The second
movement starts out with a simple melody embellished by trills
that reminds me of a parading peacock. Beethoven balances
the showiness with a strange, highly introverted section,
which reflects the inner world most Three's are trying to
avoid.
The virtue for Achievers is to cultivate truthfulness.
When they get in touch with their real feelings, they become
less motivated to boast or tell lies about themselves. A good
way to start getting to know our real feelings is through
creative play. It’s good for Threes to have fun in a
way that does not involve performing for anyone. Both Achievers
and One-Perfectionists benefit from occasionally playing around
without trying to accomplish anything. Music
can help find meaningful emotional and spiritual places in
ourselves, and help us relax instead of thinking about the
next thing we’re going to do.
The Three-Achiever’s arrows are 6 and 9. Enneagram authors
sometimes think Beethoven was one of these. I can’t
understand calling his personality type Nine, although some
of his movements, such as the famous Ninth Symphony’s
“Ode to Joy” have a pastoral or 9-ish feeling.
Type Six, The Questioner, is a more reasonable choice. I will
explain my choice more when I talk about Types Four and Six.
How Beethoven’s personality and music relate
to Enneagram Type Four, The Romantic.
Beethoven ushered in the Romantic era of music, but this isn’t
the only reason I call him a Romantic. Romantics feel they
are missing a connection they believe others have. Their lives
are filled with intense emotions.
Their passion of envy can bring out a desire to destroy.
Beethoven had a mean, alcoholic father, who was also a musician,
and who tried to use his son’s talent for his own profit.
In a way, Beethoven got revenge on his father by becoming
one of the greatest composers who ever lived.
Music has the ability to transcend personal emotions. When
Beethoven's pain and sorrow over his deafness became so intense
he wanted to kill himself, he changed his mind because he
was unable to give up his music. Sonata opus 109 is one of
many that were written when he was totally deaf. Romantics
often find creative outlets for their feelings: in this sonata,
Beethoven’s turmoil, fear, and anger can be heard.
The characteristics of melancholy and longing are more common
in this type than in other types. We know Romantics can be
moody and gloomy, but sometimes we forget how powerful they
can be. Beethoven puts a simple child’s folk song in
the middle of the belligerent second movement of opus 110.
Almost all Enneagram Fours are feeling types.
The theme of victory over suffering occurs over and over in
Beethoven's music. In the second movement of Op 10 #2, for
example, sadness is transformed into hopeful acceptance.
The virtue for Romantics is equanimity or balance.
While Beethoven achieved this as an artist, he didn't achieve
it as a person. One of Beethoven’s greatest gifts that
you don't hear about enough was his genius for orchestration
– balancing the registers of the piano or orchestra.
Humor, especially, tempers Fours’ emotional swings and
helps them stay in the present. Beethoven called some of his
minuets Scherzo's, which means a joke. The 3rd movement of
Opus 2 #2 expresses the Four's playful side and some typically
Four-ish longing.
How Beethoven’s personality and music relate
to Enneagram Type Five, The Observer.
I'm a Five, an Observer. Sometimes we’re accused of
staying too private, hiding, and putting off taking action
while we collect more information. This is why they say our
passion is that we are stingy.
Though we’re no more nor less neurotic than any other
type, some people apparently think liking to be alone is a
pathological condition. (See THE
HAPPY INTROVERT for more about this subject.) Beethoven
had a Five wing, liked to be alone, and, like most Fives,
was curious about what philosophers and other thinkers of
the day were saying. He felt bad that his education had stopped
when he was 13 and tried to make up for it by reading Shakespeare,
Goethe, Kant, and other literature.
The simple and gentle melody in the right hand of the first
movement of Sonata opus 27 reminds me of the unrevealing poker-faces
we Five-Observers often wear. Underneath, our minds are active,
as represented by the lively runs in the left hand. Soon the
emotions we usually try to downplay, what sounds to me like
frustration, leaks out.
We Observers can grow by not keeping so much in and by transcending
our fears. In Enneagram theory, this is referred to as the
virtue of non-attachment.
When my Eight-Asserter arrow works for me, I have the confidence
to speak up and say what's on my mind. Music can help Fives
become more aware of their bodies and the outside world. It
can also help us feel appreciated; when we recognize ourselves
in certain quiet, restrained, and subtle music, we feel there
is a place for us in the Universe.
The Five's
other arrow is the Seven, which I enjoy a lot and which contributes
to many Fives’ whimsical sense of humor.
How Beethoven’s personality and music relate
to Enneagram Type Six, The Questioner.
The first movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata opus
57 has the anxious feeling that, to me, corresponds to Enneagram
type Six.
Underlying all those questions a Six will ask is the passion
of fear. Beethoven experienced fear from losing his hearing,
which eventually totally failed him. He ended up communicated
for several years by writing in notebooks. Sixes can be made
jumpy and nervous by little changes in the environment, not
to mention by their own thoughts. We get back to the question,
could Beethoven be a Six instead of a Four? He did frequently
distrust his friends, possibly because of his deafness, had
a restless and contradictory personality (kind one minute,
mean-spirited the next, for example), and had bouts of indecision,
typical traits of the Six. Also, one Six subtype is especially
artistic. However, because of Beethoven’s heart wound
and because he preferred feelings and subjectivity over other
standards, I stick to my guess that he was a Four-Romantic.
In addition, his father’s influence surely accounted
for some of his mistrust, since he was mistrustful himself
and was known to drink too much and to punish his son severely.
Questioners' virtue of courage demands that they
act even though they're afraid. Music can help stimulate them
to action by changing their mood. The 3rd movement of Op 31
#2 is an antidote for anxiety. It has a slightly nervous quality,
in keeping with the Questioner's personality, but its regular
phrase lengths and slowly changing harmony give it calmness
and stability. Sixes become more mellow, relaxed, and trusting
when they access their Nine -Peacemaker arrow and zero in
on their goals with the help of their Three-Achiever arrow.
How Beethoven’s personality and music relate
to Enneagram Type Seven, The Adventurer.
Some of us spend our lives searching for pleasure and new
experiences. The goal of this seventh type, the Adventurer,
is to avoid the darker feelings that fueled Beethoven's creativity,
such as suffering and loneliness. They have a passion
of wanting more and more.
Beethoven himself had the Seven-ish trait of liking to play
pranks on people. Wit, humor, and lightheartedness, the Adventurer's
defenses, appear often in his music. This personality type
is about as far from Beethoven’s personality as you
can get, however. In the first movement
of Sonata Opus 2 #2 Beethoven clowns around. It starts out
with a two-note motive that says "look at me!”
followed by a silly run and a descending broken chord. Then
it scoots off in another direction, which is typical of an
Adventurer.Adventurers like to live
on the edge. Some love to chase and be chased. The first movement
of Beethoven's Op 31 #1 sounds like squirrels chasing each
other.
The virtue for Adventurers is sobriety. Since dealing
with yearning and accepting suffering and disappointment isn’t
something we can do overnight, a sonata, that combines lightness
and seriousness, is a good place to start: The first movement
of opus 31#3 begins in a melancholy way with a longing bell-like
motive. The mood changes to playful… and back again.
Moods and themes jump all over the keyboard. The virtue
of sobriety has more appeal to the Seven when it alternates
with playfulness.
The goal of Adventurers is to be able to sustain sobriety
and concentration a little longer so they can accomplish their
goals while remaining true to themselves. This is helped by
accessing the healthy sides of their One and Five arrows.
How Beethoven’s
personality and music relate to Enneagram Type Eight, The
Asserter.
Eight-Asserters KNOW what they want! And they want it right
now!
They see what needs to be done, but sometimes they see in
black and white. Beethoven wasn’t an Eight, but his
master teachers may have characterized him this way at times.
He could be hot-tempered. Eights love
the truth and become obsessed with policing people and acting
tough. They are grounded in their bodies and lust for all
that life has to offer – thus the passion of
lust.
It is often difficult to remember that the Asserter's tough
exterior is protecting a delicate and vulnerable core. The
first movement of Beethoven's innovative last sonata (opus
111) is rich, lusty, and brutal. You can hear the Eight’s
tender underbelly in the middle of this sonata that begins
and ends with crashing raw power. I
used to feel alienated and frightened by some Asserters. When
I observed how much anger is projected onto them, I began
to see them in a more complex and realistic way. Beethoven
left his home of Bonn, Germany, at 22 and moved to Vienna.
He was unpopular with his master piano teachers for being
obstinate and arrogant. Haydn called him “the great
Mogul.” When Goethe met him, he called him “an
utterly untamed character.” Sometimes Eights are characterized
this way, too. They often don’t care about manners or
actually like to shock people.
The Eight-Asserter's virtue is innocence. “Innocence”
here means letting oneself feel touched by a simple, pure,
and awesome work of art. When Asserters develop spiritually,
they become more soft, vulnerable, and flexible – and
learn to accept the world in all its complexity. Rather than
using their strength for personal gain, they help, protect,
and empower others.
How Beethoven’s
personality and music relate to Enneagram Type Nine, The
Peacemaker.
Peacemakers, sometimes called mediators, can see many points
of view. While some other types create chaos around them,
Peacemakers try to maintain balance. Keeping things pleasant
is very important to them, so they often develop great skill
at friendship and understanding. Their compulsion or passion
is to forget about their own importance and their own
needs.
While Peacemakers want to feel
laid back and seem mellow to others, they aren't always that
peaceful deep down inside.
Beethoven wrote a lot of movements in a relaxed, calm, and
anchored Nine-ish style that we associate with this type.
Most of his first movements begin powerfully, but now and
then one will begin in a relatively rambling and unassuming
way, in the style of many Nines.
We rarely experience the Peacemaker's
stubbornness. But when they do expresses anger consciously
and directly, it is usually good for them. This is what those
of us who are friends of Peacemakers have been waiting for.
When Peacemakers remove their rose colored glasses, they are
able to act freely in a wider range of situations - what's
referred to as the virtue of right-action.
***
After he finished his final
piano sonata, Beethoven lived for five more years, in which
he completed his Ninth Symphony, wrote his late string quartets,
and composed some piano pieces, including the opus 126 Bagatelles
and the Diabelli Variations.
While all nine types of the Enneagram can be found in Beethoven's
music, some of his pieces reach beyond personality and express
the spirit of timeless essence. Listening to Beethoven’s
music I feel glad I’m alive and that some of our fellow
humans were capable of such exalted creativity.
Writing classical music uses all nine
styles simultaneously,
by calling
on:
The perfectionist (1) for discipline, principles of style,
and expressing exactness, clarity, and drive.
The helper (2) for a harmonizing attitude and expressing relatedness.
Some of Beethoven’s music expresses love and tenderness.
The achiever (3) for working hard and expressing high energy,
quickness, and perpetual motion.
The romantic (4) for heartfelt communication with the audience;
for expressing a wide range of emotions, including beauty,
tragedy, and longing. Beethoven was also famous for improvising
on the piano. If I could go back into history, I’d give
anything to listen to one of these sessions.
The observer (5) for complex music analysis and applying sensitivity,
subtlety, and nuance. Beethoven used his 5 wing.
The questioner (6) for keen listening, musical intelligence,
and expressing nervousness, anxiety, and conflict. This applies
to Beethoven.
The adventurer (7) for expressing quickness, humor, joy, lightness,
enthusiasm, the trickster, and playfulness. This applies to
Beethoven.
The asserter (8) for a no-nonsense attitude and decisiveness;
for expressing anger and power. This applies to some of Beethoven’s
music.
The peacemaker (9) for perceiving the whole orchestra, all
the registers of a piano, or all the voices of a fugue; for
mellow, sweet, or pastoral feelings.
***
The MBTI: Using the psychological preferences
in performing music
As the following shows, it takes all eight preferences used
simultaneously to be a musician:
introverted feeling
to respond emotionally to the piece of music and to make judgments
about how to perform it, extraverted feeling to communicate
feeling and style to the audience, introverted
thinking for analyzing the form and historical style.
extraverted thinking
to communicate these elements to the audience introverted
sensation to apply one’s inner life to subjectively
interpret the music, extraverted sensation to communicate
the sound and style clearly and objectively.
introverted intuition
for insights into the structure of the music and imagining
possible interpretations, extraverted intuition to
express oneself, to be creative and for spontaneity, as if
making up the music as one goes along.
perceiving for being
open and responsive to new ideas and feelings about the music,
judging for settling on one's own style and interpretation.
The audience listens and experiences the feeling-states of
the composer and performer by means of its introverted
feeling. The appreciation is expressed by means of the
audience’s extraverted feeling.
The
Beethoven Enneagram page - find out about the CD where
you can hear these and other examples of Beethovens piano
sonatas that reflects his personality type.
