Posted on 11/28/2008 7:36:05 PM PST by mainestategop
In the 15th and 16th century, written history underwent a massive campaign of misinformation and deception. With the European slave trade in full swing, Afrikans were transported to various parts of the world and were stripped of every aspect of their humanity, and in most of western civilization, were no longer considered human. This triggered a wholesale interpretation of history that methodically excluded Afrikans from any respectful mention, other than a legacy of slavery. This can result in being taught, or socialized, from one perspective. In this instance, historical information tends to flow strictly from a European perspective. No judgment of right or wrong is being made here, only that the breadth was very narrow in scope.
In an age where history is seriously being rewritten, new information is coming forth that is shocking intellectual sensitivities. What was once considered written in stone is now melting away with the discovery of facts that heretofore have been hidden or omitted; things so different that they are generally classified as controversial or unusual.
What specifically is being referenced, is the true identity of Ludwig van Beethoven, considered Europes greatest classical music composer. Directly, Beethoven was a black man. Specifically, his mother was a Moor, that group of Muslim Africans who conquered parts of Europe--making Spain their capital--for some 800 years.
In order to make such a substantial statement, presentation of verifiable evidence is compulsory. Let's start with what some of Beethoven's contemporaries and biographers say about his appearance. Frau Fisher, a close friend of Beethoven, described him with blackish-brown complexion. Frederick Hertz, German anthropologist, used these terms to describe him: Negroid traits, dark skin, flat, thick nose.
Emil Ludwig, in his book Beethoven, says: His face reveals no trace of the German. He was so dark that people dubbed him Spagnol [dark-skinned]. Fanny Giannatasio del Rio, in her book An Unrequited Love: An Episode in the Life of Beethoven, wrote His somewhat flat broad nose and rather wide mouth, his small piercing eyes and swarthy [dark] complexion, pockmarked into the bargain, gave him a strong resemblance to a mulatto. C. Czerny stated, His beard--he had not shaved for several days--made the lower part of his already brown face still darker.
Following are one word descriptions of Beethoven from various writers: Grillparzer, dark; Bettina von Armin, brown; Schindler, red and brown; Rellstab, brownish; Gelinek, short, dark.
Newsweek, in its Sept. 23, 1991 issue stated, Afrocentrism ranges over the whole panorama of human history, coloring in the faces: from Australopithecus to the inventors of mathematics to the great Negro composer Beethoven.
Of course, in the world of scholarship there are those who take an opposite view. In the book The Changing Image of Beethoven by Alessandra Comini, an array of arguments are presented. Donald W. MacArdle, in a 1949 Musical Quarterly article came to the conclusion that there was no Spanish, no Belgian, no Dutch, no African in Beethoven's genealogy. Dominque-Rene de Lerma, the great musical bibliologist, came to the same conclusion.
Included in this amazing discussion is a reference made of Beethovens teacher, Andre de Hevesy, in his book, Beethoven The Man. Everyone knows the incident at Kismarton, or Eisenstadt, the residence of Prince Esterhazy, on his birthday. In the middle of the first allegro of Haydns symphony, His Highness asked the name of the author. He was brought forward.
What! exclaimed the Prince, the music is by the blackamoor (a black Moor). Well, my fine blackamoor, henceforth thou art in my service.
What is thy name?
Joseph Haydn.
We have all been fed false information for reasons previously mentioned. It is no secret that scholars, writers, critics, advertisers and Hollywood have changed history for their own specific reasons. What is uniquely different in the intellectual landscape, people of color now have an army of sophisticated scholars to combat the continuation and dissemination of false information that has been accepted as standard, as well as the canon in academia.
It is hoped that the revealing of this information will motivate others to critically look at all data flowing in their brains for authenticity. Hollywood is notorious for changing facts. I am not saying to hate Hollywood, but we do have to hold it accountable for disseminating inaccurate depictions, especially when it changes the course of history, by which our children are influenced.
Graphic credits:
1.) Louis Letronne, Beethoven, 1814, pencil drawing.
2.) Blasius Hofel, Beethoven, 1814, monochrome facsimile of engraving after a pencil drawing by Louis Letronne.
3.) Engraving by Blasius Hofel, Beethoven, 1814, color facsimile of engraving after a pencil drawing by Louis Letronne. This engraving was regarded in Beethoven's circle as particularly lifelike. Beethoven himself thought highly of it, and gave several copies to his friends.
©2003Kwaku Person-Lynn
Don't be so sure. There were more African slaves in Portugal than in any other European country: in 1550, Lisbon boasted 10000 resident slaves in a population of less than 100000, and Portugal as a whole probably had over 40000. When slavery was outlawed in Portugal in 1773, along with the Purity of Blood Laws, there was essentially no discernible black population. The result is that most persons of Portuguese ancestry have a mixed race ancestry.
Martin Bernal a lunatic at Cornell posited that most of Ancient Greek philosophers and philosophy/languages was nothing more than taken/stolen/lifted from Black Africa/Mesopotamia—his Black Athena theory, an afrocentric origins theory ridiculed by most linguists and classicists,
This is more of the same bunk.
If Ludwig vB was black, then the rest of the family must be black too. Ludwig van Beethovens’ family is Belgian. There are at this time 46 entries “van Beethoven” in the Belgian online telephone directory (www.infobel.be). Please call a few to ask whether they are black (start by telling this is not a joke).
This does fit with some of the writings of his day describing him as “dark”. It was generally taken to describe his mood, but it may have also been a reference to his appearance.
GOTO http://www.csudh.edu/oliver/beetport/beetport.htm
Beethoven does NOT look “black”.
This is just black revisionist fanaticism at it’s finest.
SO much bullshit. Just LOOK at his features in those pix.
There is NO way on earth that he is black.
Why have quite a few moronic people jumped on to the
HE/SHE is Black - HE/SHE is gay nonsense. Do they want
everyone to be Black and/or Gay?? WHY????????????
PURE insanity, plain and simple.
FYI, Handel, Beethoven and Schubert were STRAIGHT.
And yes, I said ultra-right wing. In spite of the fact that Black chauvinists have latched onto Marxism as if it were of African origin (and yes, there are some Black nationalists who claim that Marx got is ideas from traditional African society--har!har!har!). If it were a white American group with an inferiority complex making these ridiculous claims they would be called right wingers. But the presence of melanin makes one left wing, apparently.
Next thing you know, they'll be claiming Marcus Garvey!
When I was a child, aeons ago, my very black piano teacher subscribed to this bizarre theory.
Nice lady, excellent pianist AND teacher ... and proof that expertise in one subject does not connote expertise in another.
Since ancient times, the people living on the Mediterranean have more genetic links to each other than they have to people living deeper in their respective continents. Trade, migration, immigration -- there has been a lot of intermixing.
Egyptians migrated to Greece, Greeks migrated to Italy. North Africa was the breadbasket of the Roman Empire, with lots of ships voyaging between the North and South Mediterranean coasts, and having girlfriends in multiple ports.
To a northern European, everybody on the Mediterranean would be labeled a "Moor".
Lol......the stupidity of white people today
The gift that keeps on amusing
The Nazis were especially interested in Beethoven's background: "After making sure that Beethoven had no suspicious racial or national tinge of the non-Germanic in his background (clear evidence of his Flemish ancestry was denied in a series of articles), the masters of the Nazi propaganda and cultural machinery promoted his works as the essence of Germanic and Aryan strength".[9]
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