Applause exploded in Vienna's Karntnertortheater on May 7, 1824,
following the premiere performance of Beethoven's Ninth
Symphony. Yet the master composer himself, by then almost
completely deaf, didn't know his work was well received until he
turned to see the audience. Nearly two centuries later, a
hearing-impaired British solo percussionist and composer named
Evelyn Glennie performs intricate, arresting rhythms on a myriad
of instruments. How can Beethoven and Glennie, among the few
accomplished deaf musicians, make music they cannot hear? The
answer lies in ways of "hearing" and experiencing music well
beyond the auditory system, said Michael Broyles, Penn State
professor of music who has published a book about Beethoven's
musical style. What Beethoven and Glennie share, Broyles says,
is musical training, perfect pitch and excellent hearing before
they suffered its loss. Glennie became deaf at about 12 years of
age while Beethoven gradually began to lose his hearing at age
30. Both were able to experience