Beethoven’s DNA decoded from locks of hair saved by his fans

By Carolyn Y. Johnson
March 22, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. EDT



A tuft of hair believed to belong to German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, known as the Stumpff lock, is studied at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. (Anthi Tiliakou)

In 1802, German composer Ludwig van Beethoven wrote a heart-wrenching letter to his brothers, describing the deafness that forced him to “live like an exile” and yearn for death. Beethoven kept going for another 25 years, propelled by his music, but he begged them to have his hearing loss studied and publicized, so that “so far as possible, the world may be reconciled to me after my death.”

Two centuries later, a team of international researchers has answered that plea by sequencing Beethoven’s DNA, preserved in locks of his hair that collaborators and fans collected as treasured keepsakes.

The central ailment of Beethoven’s life was his hearing loss, which began in his mid-20s. He also suffered from debilitating gastrointestinal symptoms and attacks of jaundice. An autopsy revealed that he had cirrhosis of the liver, pancreatitis and a swollen spleen. Medical biographers have debated what killed him at the age of 56 and whether his liver disease was the result of excessive drinking or some other cause.



A scientist studies a hair sample called the Moscheles lock at the University of Tübingen in Germany. (Susanna Sabin)

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The Stumpff lock came attached to an inscription by its former owner Patrick Stirling. (Kevin Brown)

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The Hiller lock, which the study says did not come from Beethoven, sits with an inscription by its former owner Paul Hiller. (Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies/San Jose State University)

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By Carolyn Y. Johnson
Carolyn Johnson is a science reporter. She previously covered the business of health and the affordability of health care to consumers. Twitter https://twitter.com/carolynyjohnson