Using Beethoven's Ninth symphony as an example, Paul Whittaker, a deaf musician from Great Britain, shows us how deaf people can feel music.

Together with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra (MCO), Whittaker is organizing a "Feel the Music" workshop in Barcelona, which allows deaf children to "listen" to music as part of the orchestra. In the evening, they enjoy a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at the Palau de la Música Catalana.

Whittaker wants to encourage the children to feel the music and become active themselves. They learn that Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) was also deaf at the end of his life and had to rely on his inner ear when he composed the Ninth Symphony.

Beethoven's first symptoms of hearing loss appeared when he was around 28 years old. It forced him to end his career as a pianist and concentrate solely on composition. As his deafness progressed, Beethoven increasingly renounced to high notes. In his last works, when he was already completely deaf, he started using high tones more frequently again, since he could only rely on his inner ear.

In the Ninth Symphony, which lasts 70 minutes, three instrumental movements lead up to the finale. In it, thunderclaps from the kettledrums and basses, banging effects, wild tempos and threatening melodies give way to harmonious sounds before, finally, the chorus and soloists present their stirring message.

Paul Whittaker has worked with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra (MCO) since 2013. He designed the "Feel the Music" workshop for deaf children, which has been given in 13 countries already.

Just like the children, Whittaker has been deaf from birth. Yet against all odds, he studied music and learned to play the piano. As a pianist and organist, Paul Whittaker graduated from Wadham College in Oxford, founded "Music and the Deaf," a charity that helps deaf people learn to enjoy music, and worked on shows like "Les Miserables," "Cats," "The Phantom of the Opera," "West Side Story" or "My Fair Lady."

Paul Whittaker has been awarded the OBE (Officer of the British Empire) in the field of music education by Queen Elizabeth II.

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