Imagine constantly living with buzzes and hums that sound perfectly real and yet only you can hear. Imagine never being able to escape those sounds, no matter how far you travel into the wilderness or however silent the outside world. This odd condition, in medical lingo, is known as tinnitus. So was the composer Smetana, who incorporated the note he heard into one of his string quartets.
Tinnitus can be hard to explain to people.
After all, many people know what it's like to briefly hear a high-pitched tone they know isn't coming from anywhere. But there's a big difference between a soft sensation of sound that visits for a moment, and a loud, intrusive one that stays for months or years. And it can drive people to despair. You can't get away from it. Plugging up your ears doesn't help.