An international team of researchers used five genetically matching hair strands from Ludwig van Beethoven to sequence his genome. The team uncovered clues surrounding the composer’s health and his paternal line.
More details are available in the press release.
The locks of hair were compared to direct descendants of Aert van Beethoven, a paternal ancestor on Ludwig van Beethoven’s line.
Who was Ludwig van Beethoven?
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn to Johann van Beethoven and Maria Keverich. He was one of three children who survived infancy. At a young age, Johann promoted his son as a “child prodigy” after seeing the success of Mozart.
Beethoven had his first composition published at only 11 years old. By 22 years of age, he had composed a number of pieces, only to have them published later in his life. In his 30s, after years of public performances, his hearing loss led to a decline in concerts and a withdrawal from his social life. Despite the auditory problems, Beethoven continued to compose and perform music.
Beethoven died on March 26, 1827, at the age of 56. His last complete piece of music, Symphony No. 9, was premiered in 1824. Symphony No. 10 was left unfinished.
Previously, the cause of his death was attributed to heavy alcohol consumption. He was noted to often have episodes of fever, jaundice, and “wretched” gastrointestinal problems. But new DNA analysis shows he also may have had hepatitis B and genetic factors that played a role in his death.
Beethoven’s Hair
From the Victorian era through the early twentieth century, giving hair to friends and loved ones was seen as a sign of sentimentality. Although it was originally used as a sign of mourning, giving a loved one your hair was later used as a memento to give to them.
Beethoven gave eight friends strands of his hair throughout his lifetime. These strands have been well preserved and documented to ensure their authenticity.
DNA Analysis of Beethoven
The University of Cambridge, with help from FamilyTreeDNA and others, examined the hair in an effort to understand more about Beethoven. Members of the FamilyTreeDNA Research and Development team were able to assist with confirming the validity of Beethoven’s hair.
New information regarding Beethoven’s cause of death
While the common school of thought regarding Beethoven’s death has been linked to alcoholism, this new study suggests that he had a number of genetic risk factors for liver disease. Beethoven was also known to have consumed alcohol regularly. The actual amount is unknown, but through findings in Beethoven’s conversation books and a look at 19th-century Viennese standards, the level of consumption would be high enough to have harmful effects on his liver.
His DNA did not provide definite answers for his hearing loss and gastrointestinal problems, but significant genetic risk factors are likely to have all played a role.
Future research is still needed to clarify the role that risk factors, alcohol, and Hepatitis B played in his death.
Beethoven’s Y-chromosome
The FamilyTreeDNA R&D team was able to analyze living relatives from Beethoven’s genealogy who currently live in Belgium. While their family trees show a common ancestor between the late 1500s and early 1600s, they did not match on the Y-chromosome. This led researchers to believe that there was an extra-pair paternity event along Beethoven’s direct line.
Ludwig’s Genealogical Brick Wall
The new information regarding Beethoven’s Y-DNA and mtDNA has been added to the FamilyTreeDNA database. Customers may be able to find Beethoven in their match list, as well as explore his Y-DNA haplogroup within FamilyTreeDNA Discover™.
Customers who would like to aid in this research are able to upgrade their Y-DNA tests to provide more refined haplogroups and SNPs related to the composer’s haplogroup. The more information available for review, the closer we are to finding the truth about Beethoven’s cause of death and genetic paternal lineage.
My biggest concern with is with the use of autosomal DNA, by Health Insurance companies for underwriting policies. Currently an act signed by Bill Clinton (GINA) prevents health insurance companies (not life insurance) from using genetic information to either price or deny health insurance, but laws are often revoked (like Dodd Frank) depending on which party controls the government, and how successful AHIP is in bribing (err donating) to represenatives and political parties.
At present two competitors have partnered with companies that gather data, which is then given or sold to (probably parent) AHIP companies.
This genetic information is not currently used to underwrite individual policies, but it can be used. A few years ago I had to submit to a blood draw from a visiting nurse for a life insurance policy.
This macro data, gathered up by genetic testing companies, can be used to demographically (based on name, age, race) to underwrite health insurance and life insurance policies, without violating GINA.
One popular company is already partnered and asks clients to answer so called “health questions” which are unrelated to their health, but are related to epigenetics, such as where was your father born, where did you live. This is just a representative of such “health” questions, they have nothing to do with health but everything to do with epigenetics and can be used in a future date
by health insurance companies.
This comment has nothing to do with this article please post appropriately
If health insurance companies want your DNA, they likely already have it. They acquired it not from public databases, but directly from you, from DNA you discarded in trash or other public places.
I share your concerns, which are well-founded.
I recently had an at-DNA test at a major company, whose very large database might help find near-relatives who could help confirm one of my 3G grandfathers.
As soon as my test results were available, their website started asking the type of personal questions you described. Of course, I did not answer the scavengers, but noted the lack of any cautionary advice – as self-serving and generically-worded as that would be, nor any description of the scope of their interest.
The paternal lineage tests mentioned in this article have historically been unable to provide the specificity needed by forensic analysts, but scientists are clearly making progress toward that goal. Perhaps AI will make that moot.
I wonder if scientists have looked into Celiac disease, which can cause gastrointestinal symptoms and liver issues
Dear Kathleen,
We had a look at Beethoven’s risk for coeliac disease by querying for the DQ2 and DQ8 alleles in the HLA cluster of the MHC complex. These alleles are strongly associated with, and typically a pre-requisite for, coeliac disease. Beethoven lacked both of these alleles, so we could not establish any clear risk for coeliac disease.
Best,
Tristan