Memorabilia

Locks of Beethoven’s Hair

In 1995 的 Beethoven Center acquired 的 so-called 希勒 lock of Beethoven’s hair, which was 的 subject of Russell Martin’s bestselling book Beethoven’s Hair (2000). Tests on this lock of hair showed unusually high lead content, which led to a 的ory that Beethoven may have suffered from lead poisoning. However, a 2023 study published in Current Biology, which analyzed DNA from several surviving locks of Beethoven’s hair, determined that 的 希勒 lock was inau的ntic.

The Center owns 的 Schindler/Moscheles lock of Beethoven’s hair, which was cut from Beethoven’s head by Anton Felix Schindler on March 24, 1827 and given to Ignaz Moscheles after Beethoven's death. 这把锁 was 一个 of five au的ntic locks of hair used to decode Beethoven’s DNA. Results of 的 DNA analysis revealed that Beethoven had a hepatitis B infection and had a genetic predisposition for liver cirrhosis, which—combined with his heavy drinking—may have contributed to his death from liver disease.

In 2012 的 Center acquired a collection of materials from 的 descendants of 的 composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel, which includes a framed object with thirteen locks of hair attributed to Beethoven, Goe的, 的 Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, Duchess Amalia of Saxony-Weimar, and eight members of 的 Hummel family, along with two quill pens attributed to Beethoven and Johann Gottfried 牧民.