Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved

(Paperback)

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The basis for the movie of the same name, an astonishing tale of one lock of hair and its amazing travels--from nineteenth-century Vienna to twenty-first-century America. When Ludwig van Beethoven lay dying in 1827, a young musician named Ferdinand Hiller came to pay his respects to the great composer, snipping a lock of Beethoven's hair as a keepsake--as was custom at the time--in the process. For a century, the lock of hair was a treasured Hiller family relic, until it somehow found its way to the town of Gilleleje, in Nazi-occupied Denmark. There, it was given to a local doctor, Kay Fremming, who was deeply involved in the effort to help save hundreds of hunted and frightened Jews. After Fremming's death, his daughter assumed ownership of the lock, and eventually consigned it for sale at Sotheby's, where two American Beethoven enthusiasts, Ira Brilliant and Che Guevara, purchased it in 1994. Subsequently, they and others instituted a series of complex forensic tests in the hope of finding the probable causes of the composer's chronically bad health, his deafness, and the final demise that Ferdinand Hiller had witnessed all those years ago. The results, revealed for the first time here, are the most compelling explanation yet offered for why one of the foremost musicians the world has ever known was forced to spend much of his life in silence. In Beethoven's Hair, Russell Martin has created a rich historical treasure hunt, a tale of false leads, amazing breakthroughs, and incredible revelations. This unique and fascinating book is a moving testament to the power of music, the lure of relics, the heroism of the Resistance movement, and the brilliance of molecular science.

Reviews

"A terrific storyodd, suspenseful, controversial and ultimately revealing." Denver Post

"Russell Martin's brilliant tale about a long-treasured and peripatetic lock of Beethoven's hair paints a compelling portrait of the immortal composer's life, the high drama of Nazi persecution during World War II, and the mysterious world of contemporary forensic science, which is filled with subtle miracles." Todd Siler, author of Think Like a Genius

"An engrossing tale . . . When, toward the end of the book, the author writes of DNA tests on the hair that reveal new answers to the causes of Beethoven's deafness and death, even the skeptic will share his enthusiasm for this peculiar subject. First-class history, and a fascinating exposition of forensic science." Kirkus Reviews

"A wonderful contemplation of how relics can become bridges between people separated by time, culture and death . . . an inspiring look at passion in several forms." Cleveland Plain Dealer

Author Bio

Russell Martin is the author of several works of nonfiction, including the highly acclaimed Out of Silence, and a novel. He lives in Colorado.