Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

The quote is from Ludwig Van Beethoven, which was a part of a letter to Franz Wegeler.

Mr. Russell Martin has crafted a beautiful piece of work that is much more complex than it initially appears. The difference between writing a book on a subject this narrowly defined and having it succeed, and producing nothing more than a mind numbing recitation of facts, is extremely fine. In this case the Author did a brilliant job. My only wish is that a few photographs were included, as they would have added to the work. This criticism is very minor, and the book is outstanding.

To have written as narrowly on a subject as suggested by the title would have never merited a book. Mr. Russell gently sways the time frame from the current year, and then as far back as Beethoven's years as a child, and the transitions are seamless. He builds the book in layers, Beethoven's life, illnesses, loves, and his introduction to Mozart. He narrates the custom of taking a lock of hair as a memento, in this case Beethoven's, from days after the great man's death, to the most sophisticated forensic examinations currently available. He writes of the men who purchased the relic, the passion that catalyzed their purchase, and all that resulted from it.

All of this joyfully fascinates, until the great mystery of the hand off of the relic to a Doctor, who risked his life saving Jews from the Nazis darkly enters the story. And it is here the Author transforms the book from a documentation of a historical curiosity, to an important work, by including the remarkable events in Gilleleje Denmark.

The events that surrounded the relics' travels all illustrate the veneration this man and his music have had, and will continue to have for as long as we have a future. His music was played for the amusement of concentration camp staff, the vermin that were Hitler's creatures. The hideous ironies of the music being played by those that were condemned to die. Can you imagine a scene where a group that knows death is their only future plays a requiem, a requiem that literally is to be theirs? I cannot.

His most recognizable symphonic opening was used by the allies because of what it translated into, using...but that would be a spoiler.

The quote that begins these comments is probably the greatest irony of all. When you read of how ill this man was, the decades of pain and barely imaginable discomfort, the deafness many know of seems minor by comparison. The contemporary part of this tale puts myths about his death to rest, provides evidence of what may have been responsible for the misery that was his "health", and ponders what did his horrendous health have to do with what he wrote.

The premise of the book does not indicate just how much lies within. It is a biography of a man, of musical and human history, and of scientific marvels. It is the examination of why this man's music resonates uniquely to this day.

I cannot think of any reader who would not enjoy this work.

I'm amazed to discover that this may turn out to be my favorite book ever. It sat around here for a couple of years before I read it; the title turned me off. What could possibly be interesting about the hair of the man who created some of the most powerful, affecting and effective music ever written?

However, the tale of what happened to a lock of Beethoven's hair, severed from his head the day after his death by a 15-year-old boy, is a story of honor, love, courage, hope, friendship, man's inhumanity to man, and man's triumph over the worst kinds of adversity. It's also a picture of how 20th century technology can penetrate secrets of the ages.

Martin interweaves several diverse narratives with a biography of Beethoven's health rather than one of his entire life because it's his health that is the issue here. The question involves what we can learn about the terrible physical suffering Beethoven endured from DNA testing of his hair. This question is posed against the background of what happened to the sample from the time of Beethoven's death until it reached the laboratory. The first is familiar; the second is amazing.

Martin treats his material with a sure hand, weaving the stories in and out as he takes us back and forth between the centuries and the characters. I found that I was holding my breath while reading about how the Danes helped the Jews as the Nazis breathed down their collective throats.

This is an amazing and unusual story, told with intelligence and finesse. It's not a book to be skimmed; if you do, it will look disjointed and you'll become confused. It's a book to be reveled in and thoughtfully digested. If you crave perfection, play a CD of Beethoven's last quartets while you read.

'Beethoven's Hair' was truly a 'good read'. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed reading how the lock of hair found its way to the auction, and then into the hands of the two researchers. The structure of the book is rather humorous and relates to a musical form, tossing and turning between two different time periods: Beethoven's chronological life, and the modern (including W.W.II) time of research. Indeed, the book gives you plenty of spice and reveals much about Nazism and scientology, specific to the findings in the lock of hair, but be warned... if you expect a biography of Beethoven, the one you'll get is very weak, especially in terms of his compositions. I think, though, that this would suit any reader: teachers, music-listeners, doctors, miners, and literate persons alike that can take an interest in the history of such a great genious.

In 1827, 17 year old music student Ferdinand Hiller visited Beethoven, accompanied by his piano instructor. The day after the master's death, young Hiller was permitted to take a lock of Beethoven's hair as a memento of the great man. Hiller went on achieve fame as a virtuoso pianist and music director in Cologne, Germany. At his death, he bequeathed Beethoven's hair to one of his sons. What happened from there is a beguiling mystery. How did it manage to turn up in the estate of a Danish doctor who had helped Jews escape from Nazi-occupied Denmark to Sweden?

In my opinion, Russell Martin has done a masterful job of interweaving the story of this locket of Beethoven's hair with biographies of those we know who had come in contact with it, accompanied by relevant facts concerning musical history, politics, medicine and forensic science. This is a book that will inform you and stir your imagination. More importantly, it will enable you to enjoy the fellowship of people from all walks of life who love music in general and Beethoven's masterpieces in particular.

"Beethoven's Hair" is quite simply an intriguing masterpiece. Russell Martin has masterfully written a tale that captures your attention and does not let you go. With the overriding story of a lock of mysterious hair, the content is most beautifully presented. In balancing the love of Beethoven - the man and his work, history, and modern day medical science, the author has created very interesting literature. Just like Beethoven's masterpieces, this book is a treasure. I wish I could read it again for the first time.

Martin's book is a fascinating read and well-researched. The journey
of a lock of Beethoven's hair through time is an incredible story, and
Martin tells it well. It is indeed an "extraordinary
odyssey." My only concern is the assertion that this book
"solves a musical mystery," namely, provides the source of
Beethoven's deafness and chronic illnesses. To the contrary, rather
than answering questions, it simply places more questions on the
biographical table. First, Beethoven started having hearing problems
as early as 1798. Are we to believe that he was massively toxic with
lead for 29 years? I find that difficult to believe. Second, I find it
hard to blame Beethoven's visits to the spa, his habit of drinking
water (out of bottles), his wallpaper, or his dinnerware as accidental
sources of his lead ingestion. No one else in Vienna, as far as
medical history goes, suffered from his massive toxicity, despite the
fact that hundreds of thousands visited the spas, drank the water, ate
fish from the Danube, and ate off glazed dinnerware. To ignore the
possibility of intentional poisoning is remiss. Despite these problems
(and presumptions) the book is a good read. ....

I found the book's structure a bit disjointing. I didn't like the way the chapters broke up the storyline between the lock of hair's journey and Beethoven's life. I'd already read a fair amount about Beethoven's irascible personality and chronically bad health, so I didn't find much that was new or interesting. The part of the book I enjoyed the most was the amazing story of the Danish people who were so valiant in their effort to save Jews from the Gestapo. No matter how much you read about these events, they always make a big impact. I don't think any nation was as heroic in the face of the Nazis as the Danes. While the story of the hair was interesting, I just didn't think the book as a whole held together very well. An interesting idea, but a bit disappointing overall from my perspective.

I thought this book was brilliantly put together. Martin traces the path of a lock of Beethoven's hair as well as giving a biography on the composer. A great fan of Beethoven's work, but not of biographies I approached this book with some trepidation. However, Martin captivated me and made it near impossible to put down. I recommend any lover of Beethoven read this book.

Russell Martin does an amazing job of transporting the reader back and forth across two centuries of not only music history but world history. Only a skillful storyteller could have woven so many disparate historical threads together in such a cohesive and fascinating way. The book enriched my understanding of Beethoven the man and consequently my appreciation for his art, which, given the extent of his physical infirmities, is even more miraculous than I ever realized. I read the book in one sitting, skipping lunch because I simply couldn't put it down, and I NEVER skip a meal.

I thought it was an excellent read. No, it's not all about Beethoven. It's about a lock of his hair, cut from his head the day after his death. It's about a journey through time. It's about being the custodian of a relic. It's one story about the Holocaust. It's a story about compassion. But most of all, it's a story about Passion -- about the love of art and connoisseurship. And yes, it is about Beethoven, too. Very interesting little pieces of trivia throughout the book on his life, illnesses, and eccentricities. I think the DNA testing at the end of the book revealed much about this great, great composer. If you're impatient to get to those details, you might start with the last chapter, but do go to the beginning and enjoy the rest of the story. Definitely has take-away value.