|
DAILY NEWS ONLINE |
|
|
|
OTHER EDITIONS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
OTHER LINKS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
  |
Beethoven makes a comeback, creates sensation
|
|
|
It all started at the Ludwig van Beethoven centre in California where testing for lead poisoning had revealed that chunks of bone came from the skull of the late composer. This was revealed by its director, William Meredith who revered the late composer who had a passion for Beethoven music.
He had an extremely powerful experience to have been in the presence of them. Meredith who is the director of the Ira Brilliant Centre for Beethoven Studies at San Jose State University, also teaches music history at the Silicon Valley University.
Fantastic revelation
This shocking statement came after a scientist discovered and determined that Beethoven had lead poisoning matched the level of lead in the bones to the levels from the hair. This fantastic revelation came on the basis that lead poisoning at the centre was meticulously traced to the provenance of the bones along a trail leading back to Beethoven.
German scientists too have compared DNA from the bones, believed to be chunks of skull to genetic material from the hair. The centre also agreed that they may never get an exact DNA match because DNA is very fragile and the bones are very old. But there is no doubt that Beethoven is the owner of these bone fragments and pretty clear that this discovery is hundred per cent accurate.
Studies of his bones and hair have ruled out any possibility of finding out what caused the composer to be deaf during his last years.
The two bone fragments belong to Northern California descendants of Romeo Saligmann who was a doctor in Vienna in the late 1800s.
This was confirmed by the centre. During an exhumation of Beethoven's body, Saligmann got the bones in 1863. The bones contained pieces of skull broken during an autopsy. These bones were passed down from generation to generation who travelled from Vienna to France and then on to the United States.
Saligmann's heirs
They had been on loan from Saligmann's heirs in whose custody they were. It will take time to sink into this drama. They are hopeful that the bones will finally rest with the centre.
Ludwig van Beethoven will be immortalised again by the centre who hopes to create an exhibit featuring the bones, their history and the scientific testing methods evolved to study them that will draw an international interest in all those who study and play classical music.
Yet another dramatic discovery in the annals of music history was made recently quite by chance. A 115-year-old music manuscript of Beethoven was discovered by the Librarian, Heather Carbo of the Palmer Theological Seminary at Pennsylvania.
The much respected musicologist, Jeffrey Kallberg of the University of Pennsylvania said it was a magical discovery and this manuscript, missing for 179 years, was found lying at the bottom of a cabinet that Carbo cleaned. She discovered the manuscript scored for Grose Fugue in July this year and was kept a secret until experts could make sure it was real and decided on its value.
The manuscript was last mentioned in an 1890 auction catalogue from Berlin, Germany. There is no evidence as to what happened to the manuscript or how it got to the seminary. Later, it was discovered that collector, William Howard Doane from Cincinnati, Ohio purchased the manuscript in 1852.
Years later,. Doane's daughter donated the musical score of Gross Fugue to the library. This unpublished magnificent score will be auctioned on December 1, according to Stephen Roe who is in charge of the sale.
Roe said it could fetch between US dollars 1.7 to 2.6 million or even more. The manuscript contains many alterations, changes and revisions that no one has ever seen before and done by the Master composer.
Historic moment
Re-discovering Beet- hoven is a historic moment and the 80-page manuscript which is filled with the deaf composer's notes on revisions, are written in brown ink. Experts confirm that this score was scripted in the months before he died at the age of 56 in 1827.
This manuscript will also enable experts to gain a better insight to how this great composer set about composing his magnificent scores, some even while being deaf. This genius was already a concert pianist at 11 years and who went on to compose many of the world's greatest works of music not only for piano, string ensemble, orchestra but for ballet as well.
He wrote his last composition, The Nineth Symphony and conducted it while being deaf on May 7, 1824 which was his last State appearance.
Now the music world can marvel at his extraordinary appearance not only through his bones but by his music genius, especially Gross Fugue when it hits the concert halls or on discs. And it all happened in the new millennium.
..................................
|
|
