Despite her disabilities, Helen Keller was able to enjoy music

Keller was blind and deaf, yet her desire to interact with the outside world outweighed her impairments. She could read lips with her hands and hear what people were saying. Even more amazing is the fact that she could hear music being played just next to her. How did she accomplish that?

She only touched a resonant tabletop with her fingertips, that's how. She once heard the renowned early 20th-century string quartet Zoellner Quartet perform for her, and they were taken aback by her ability to understand their composition. When asked how she could take in music and the natural beauty that most people experience through hearing and sight, Keller responded: "Niagara was our destination in March 1893. It is difficult to put into words how I felt as I stood on the ledge that overlooks the American Falls and felt the earth quiver and the air vibrate."

She uttered: "Many people find it unusual that I should be moved by Niagara's grandeur and beauty. What does this or that piece of music mean to you, they question you constantly. You cannot see or hear the waves roaring as they roll up the beach. What do you make of them? They are essential in the most literal sense. As I cannot comprehend or explain love, religion, or kindness, neither can I comprehend nor define their meaning."