TOGETHER WITH

April 3, 2023

A Christian store had been stocking a Lamb Of God mug, unaware they're a heavy metal band. The guitarist Mark Morton found out and took to Twitter:  "I ain't mad at Jesus, but y’all can’t just be out here bootlegging...". 

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In today's email: 

• The big idea: Analysis of Beethoven’s DNA yields clues
• Competition: 18-Year-Old Canadian Kevin Chen wins first prize at the Rubinstein Piano Competition
• Science: The music of chemistry revealed
• Photo of the week
• Around the web: A 90-year-old Japanese surfer, custom handwriting fonts, Airbnb sheds, plus more curious internet finds.

CLASSICAL CHARTS

THE BIG IDEA

Analysis of Beethoven's DNA Yields Clues

Looking for clues to unravel the mysteries of Beethoven’s life and death, DNA from the locks of the master composer’s hair has been sequenced using genomic analysis. The results weren’t comprehensive but answered some of the longstanding questions about his health and life.

Researchers from across Europe participated in the study, titled Genomic analyses of hair from Ludwig van Beethoven, published in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology.

Beethoven’s ill health

A day after Beethoven’s death at the age of 56 in 1827, two of his friends found some documents hidden in his desk, in particular the one we now call the Heiligenstadt Testament. Written 25 years earlier, and addressed to his brothers, Beethoven wrote candidly about his health problems, and confessed he’d considered suicide — the only thing holding him back was the idea of dying “before I had produced all the works that I felt the urge to compose.”

He suffered with his health issues from his early 20s until his death. Along with the progressive hearing loss that plagued him for decades, he suffered from ongoing gastrointestinal issues, and was generally considered to have died of liver disease. The cause, however, was not known and was often ascribed to liquor consumption.

The study

Just how did the researchers get material to analyze? During Beethoven’s time, as it happens, it was a custom to keep locks of hair of your friends as a keepsake. The study began with eight samples of hair that was said to be Beethoven’s from various sources.

• Two did not match the rest, and were eliminated as probable fakes;

• One of the samples they eliminated ended up being from a woman — it had been analyzed earlier for various substances, and was often used to claim Beethoven’s dependence on opiates as a result of contracting syphilis, a theory the paper’s authors now refute;

• A third sample was too damaged to be able to ascertain gender-related chromosomes.

They concluded that the remaining five were authentic because the five samples shared various genetic markers. His ancestral matches were clustered along the Rhine River and within present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, coinciding with the areas his known German ancestors were born. There was also documented evidence that supported their authenticity.

The findings

Because of the age of the samples, some analyses could not be performed, and some questions remain unanswered. However, what they did find was fascinating.

• When examining his DNA for known genetic markers that could contribute to hearing loss, the only match they found was to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), where he fell within the 93rd percentile in terms of risk;

• However, they could not isolate any of the specifically problematic SLE markers;

• They were able to largely rule out Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), celiac disease and lactose intolerance;

• IBS was not entirely ruled out, but no evidence supporting the diagnosis was found;

• His genetic risk for liver cirrhosis was in the 96th percentile, and the specific variants most strongly associated with the disease were found in his DNA;

• One of the locks of hair tested positive for HBV or Hepatitis B.

The surprise

Analysis of the DNA from the samples with known ancestors of Beethoven’s yielded a surprising result. It appears that one of the composer’s forebears was conceived out of wedlock.

The researchers analysed the Y chromosomes from five living members of the Beethoven family. Those five living descendants are only distantly related to each other today, but share a distinct Y chromosome haplogroup that is in turn shared with Aert van Beethoven, a common ancestor of the 16th century. Aert is also Ludwig’s ancestor, but the Y chromosome haplogroup does not match.

The incidence of what scientists call EPP, or extra pair paternity, means that somewhere along the line, another male’s DNA from outside the official family tree was introduced into the mix.

Unproven rumours have existed for some time that Beethoven’s father, Johann van Beethoven, was born as the result of an extramarital affair. While the scientific analysis does support the EPP theory, it can’t pinpoint when exactly the paternal DNA diverged from the family tree.

The paper’s authors note that this study only opens the door for future research by history’s scientific sleuths.

As music lovers, we can only count ourselves lucky that Beethoven’s devotion to his art kept him on earth, and composing, as long as it did.

SPONSORED

"A superb collection." — ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ BBC Music Magazine

Experience the intimate artistic conversation of Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms with the NAC Orchestra's third album in the recording cycle. 

This harmonious collection pairs symphonies from Robert and Johannes with Clara's chamber and orchestral works, revealing the closely intertwined personal and artistic connections between these musical giants.

Experience the music of three artistic legends in a way that's never been heard before.

Artists: Alexander Shelley, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Stewart Goodyear, Yosuke Kawasaki, Rachel Mercer, Gabriela Montero, Liz Upchurch, Adrianne Pieczonka.

THE LATEST

The 2023 Polar Music Prize will honour composer Arvo Pärt, record producer Chris Blackwell, and singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo at a ceremony in Stockholm on May 23. The prestigious award, founded in 1989, recognizes exceptional achievements in music and comes with a $58,000 prize. | The Violin Channel

Ryuichi Sakamoto, the Japanese musician whose remarkably eclectic career straddled pop, experimentalism and Oscar-winning film composition, has died aged 71. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer. |  The Guardian

Colombian conductor and violinist Andrés Orozco-Estrada has been appointed to the position of Music Director of the City of Cologne and Gürzenich Kapellmeister. | Opera Wire

COMPETITION

Kevin Chen performs at the 17th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition. (Photo: video screen capture/Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition)

18-Year-Old Canadian Kevin Chen Wins First Prize at  Rubinstein Competition

Canadian pianist Kevin Chen has won first prize in the 17th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv. It’s the second major competition win in less than six months for the 18-year-old Calgary native, having garnered first prize at the 76th Concours de Genève in November 2022.

Canadian judge Janina Fialkowska posted the news on social media.

The Rubinstein Competition is one of the world’s prestigious piano competitions, initiated in 1974 with Maestro Rubinstein on the Jury. The list of former winners is impressive, including Emanuel Ax, fellow Canadian Janina Fialkowska, who sat on this year’s jury, Korean superstar Seong-Jin Cho, Daniil Trifonov, and Khatia Buniatishvili, among many others who are now pursuing international careers.

For the finals, Chen performed Mozart’s Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major, K. 595, Brahms’ Trio in A Minor for Piano, Clarinet and Cello, Op. 114, and Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 23.

Kevin Chen’s performance at the finals:

Kevin Chen, Canada’s rising star

Kevin Chen has been making his mark in the world of classical music since the age of 7, when he made his orchestral debut. By the age of 8, he’d been able to solve the Rubik’s Cube in 44 seconds, and made it to the CBC list of Top 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians under 30.

A native of Calgary, Alberta, Kevin is continuing his studies at the University of Calgary with J. Marilyn Engle. He’s also participated in many master classes with Emmanuel Ax, Alessio Bax, Minsoo Sohn, and others. Kevin is also a prolific composer, and he’s written four symphonies for orchestra, along with piano concertos, many of which have been commissioned and performed.

He’s racked up an impressive series of competition wins.

• First prize at the 76th Concours de Genève in 2022;
• Kevin was the youngest-ever winner of the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition in 2021;
• He won first place in the Mozart International Piano Competition in Switzerland in 2020;
• He won the Hilton Head International Piano Competition in 2019;
• 1st Prize at the International Piano e-competition in 2019;
• Kevin garnered third place in the 17-and-under category at the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Competition in 2015;
• In 2013, at 8 years of age, he was the youngest Canadian to ever be awarded First Class Honours with Distinction in the ARCT Performer’s Royal Conservatory of Music exam;
• In 2012, at 7, he won first place in the Canadian Music Competition and made his orchestral debut with the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra.

He’s going to need a bigger display case if he keeps up this pace. 

Congratulations to a gifted young pianist.

SCIENCE SAYS

The Music of Chemistry Revealed

Chemistry and music may not seem like related fields, but a researcher from Indiana University has come up with a way of converting the visible light that’s given off by the chemical elements into audio signals.

W. Walker Smith uses a technique called data sonification to produce the sounds. When they are heated or otherwise energized, each of the elements emits visible light in multiple wavelengths, which produce specific colours and levels of brightness. Some elements emit thousands of individual colours. The hues are determined by the amount of energy that is released by the electrons during the process.

W. Walker Smith is a recent graduate, having obtained degrees in both chemistry and music composition.

A previous project involved turning molecular vibrations into musical compositions. It’s what led him to consider the spectra of the individual elements, or the light they emit when energized. He’s quoted in Chemistry World. “I was always looking for a way to turn my chemistry research into music, eventually I stumbled across the visible spectra of the elements and I just was overwhelmed by how beautiful, gorgeous and how different they all look, and I thought Wow, it would be really cool to turn these beautiful spectra, these beautiful images, into sounds.”

Converting those light waves into sound is another way of looking at the periodic table. It’s not a new idea, however previous versions were not able to capture the rich variety of sounds/colours of the element spectra.

Video courtesy of the American Chemical Society.

Smith consulted with David Clemmer, Ph.D., a professor in the chemistry department, and Chi Wang, D.M.A., a professor in the Jacobs School of Music, in coding the program that would convert the light data from each element into real-time music as a mixture of notes.

They considered the patterns of light waves, using the frequencies of each colour relative to each other. If violet light is double the frequency of red, for example, it creates an octave interval. The multiple wavelengths were compiled into a single sine wave at frequencies corresponding to the light data. The amplitude corresponds to the brightness of the colours. Scaling the light waves downwards brought them into the range of human hearing.

The sounds differ based on their complexity as well as tone. “The result is that the simpler elements, such as hydrogen and helium, sound vaguely like musical chords, but the rest have a more complex collection of sounds,” says Smith. Some include microtones, which create dissonance.

Smith presented his findings at the spring 2023 meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). It’s just the first step towards his eventual goal of creating a fully interactive musical periodic table.

Education is the underlying mission. A fully functional instrument will be housed as an exhibit at the WonderLab Museum of Science, Health, and Technology in Bloomington, Indiana. The interactive instrument will allow people to create their own music based on chemical elements.

Smith notes that his potential teaching method is inclusive, reaching visually impaired students, as well as those who respond to alternative learning styles.

AROUND THE WEB

📅 On this day: Johannes Brahms dies in Vienna at age 63.

🔮 Wow: A rock crystal sat in a museum for nearly 200 years — they just now found out it wasn’t a rock.

🎲 Useful: This website lets you pick random numbers, flip coins, and more.

✍️ Neat: You can turn your handwriting into your own custom font.

🏄‍♂️ Inspiring: Watch this 90-year-old Japanese surfer talk about catching waves.

🤔 Idea: This guy turned a $1,200 dollar shed into a $45,000 dollar-a-year Airbnb.

🐻 Aww: Animals yawning is life-affirming cute.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Beethoven’s birthplace at Bonngasse 20, Bonn, Germany.

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Today's email was brought to you by Anya "it's all in the hair" Wassenberg and Michael "music chemist" Vincent.

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