Beethoven’s DNA found in his hair reveals surprising new details

An international team of scientists has successfully sequenced the genome of the legendary composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, for the first time ever.

The scientists examined Beethoven’s genes to understand his health and genetic makeup.

The researchers used five genetically matching locks of hair from the legendary composer for their analysis.

The findings reveal some interesting facts about Beethoven and open a whole new set of questions about his life.

Sounds of illness: Beethoven’s health

Beethoven’s health has been the subject of debate ever since he asked his doctor to publicly document his illness way back in 1802.

This new research, however, brings a fresh perspective, revealing previously unknown genetic risk factors for the liver disease that likely contributed to Beethoven’s death.

Ever wondered why Beethoven had progressive hearing loss, which made him almost deaf by 1818? Or why he had chronic gastrointestinal complaints and a severe liver disease that ultimately led to his death in 1827?

So have many others, and the experts set out to find answers to these questions.

Ailments with mysterious causes

Interestingly, the research team could not pinpoint a definite cause for Beethoven’s hearing loss or gastrointestinal problems.

However, they discovered several genetic risk factors for liver disease and found evidence that Beethoven was infected with the hepatitis B virus. Coupled with his alcohol consumption, this condition may have resulted in severe liver disease.

According to Tristan Begg, the study’s lead author from the University of Cambridge, Beethoven drank alcohol regularly as documented in his “conversation books.”

“If his alcohol consumption was sufficiently heavy over a long enough period, the interaction with his genetic risk factors presents one possible explanation for his cirrhosis,” said Begg.

Questions remain about genetic causes

Furthermore, the researchers did not find a straightforward genetic cause for Beethoven’s hearing loss.

“Although a clear genetic underpinning for Beethoven’s hearing loss could not be identified, the scientists caution that such a scenario cannot be strictly ruled out,” explained Dr. Axel Schmidt from the Institute of Human Genetics at the University Hospital of Bonn.

In regards to Beethoven’s gastrointestinal complaints, no genetic explanation was pinpointed. The researchers argue that diseases like coeliac disease and lactose intolerance are unlikely causes, based on the genomic data.

Beethoven was also found to have some degree of genetic protection against the risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a commonly suspected cause, making this less likely.

“We cannot say definitely what killed Beethoven, but we can now at least confirm the presence of significant heritable risk, and an infection with hepatitis B virus,” said Johannes Krause, from the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology.

“We can also eliminate several other less plausible genetic causes.”

Testing for authenticity

To ensure authenticity, the team conducted tests on eight hair samples acquired from public and private collections across the UK, Europe, and the United States.

In the process, they discovered that at least two of the locks did not originate from Beethoven, including a famous lock once believed to have been cut from the recently deceased composer’s head by the 15-year-old musician Ferdinand Hiller.

Analysis of Beethoven’s living relatives

A particularly interesting aspect of this study involves the genetics of Beethoven’s living relatives.

Some of the relatives were found to share a paternal ancestor with Beethoven in the late 1500s and early 1600s based on genealogical studies, but they did not match the Y-Chromosome found in the authentic hair samples. 

The team concluded that this was due to the occurrence of at least one “extra-pair paternity event” – a child conceived from an extramarital relationship – in Beethoven’s direct paternal line.

“Through the combination of DNA data and archival documents, we were able to observe a discrepancy between Ludwig van Beethoven’s legal and biological genealogy,” said genealogist Maarten Larmuseau from the KU Leuven.

The team hopes that by making Beethoven’s genome publicly available, further research will be encouraged, and remaining questions about his health and genealogy could be answered.

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The research team included experts from the University of Cambridge, the Beethoven Center San Jose, American Beethoven Society, KU Leuven, FamilyTreeDNA, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Beethoven-Haus Bonn, and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

The study is published in the journal Current Biology.

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