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Posted on 10/04/2021 12:08:27 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
The classical composer who died almost 300 years ago, has been at the centre of a race debate for over a century; but does this mean we should disturb his grave?
German singer, Roberto Blanco, has called on the Mayor of Vienna to exhume Beethoven’s body for a racial DNA test.
The request is the latest in an over century old debate about the ethnicity of the German-born classical music giant. Beethoven died in Vienna in 1827, and Blanco addresses the city’s Mayor in a public YouTube video. He states his reasoning for the ask is ‘so that we can see if he looks more like you or me.’
Blanco, who is of Afro-Cuban origin, was born in Tunisia, before moving to Germany and becoming a singer in the early 50s.
The 84-year-old beloved singer has recorded multiple hit albums and appeared on a number of music variety shows.
Why is Beethoven’s ethnicity an issue?
While the question of Beethoven’s race has been in question for over a century, the theory regarding his ethnicity resurfaced in 2015.
A student-run Minnesota newspaper, The Concordian, had suggested a “white-washing” of the composer’s legacy, citing descriptions of the composer as having a “wide, thick-lipped mouth, short, thick nose, and proudly arched forehead”.
Also known as cultural whitewashing, “white-washing” in this context is the practice where historians, artists, and other documenters highlight ‘white’ as the primary and dominant race, consequently pushing or entirely removing ethnic minorities from the record.
SNIP
(Excerpt) Read more at classicfm.com ...
he looks white with wavy soft hair.
and?
I’m going to take a wild guess and say he’s a white dude.
Q: What is Beethoven doing now?
A: He’s decomposing.
When Beethoven passed away, he was buried in a churchyard.
A couple days later, the town drunk was walking through the cemetery and heard some strange noise coming from the area where Beethoven was buried. Terrified, the drunk ran and got the priest to come and listen to it. The priest bent close to the grave and heard some faint, unrecognizable music coming from the grave. Frightened, the priest ran and got the town magistrate.
When the magistrate arrived, he bent his ear to the grave, listened for a moment, and said, “Ah, yes, that’s Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, being played backwards.”
He listened a while longer, and said, “There’s the Eighth Symphony, and it’s backwards, too. Most puzzling.” So the magistrate kept listening; “There’s the Seventh... the Sixth... the Fifth...”
Suddenly the realization of what was happening dawned on the magistrate; he stood up and announced to the crowd that had gathered in the cemetery, “My fellow citizens, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s just Beethoven decomposing.”
What kind of racist BS is this?!
Who cares what race he was? He made great music - just like Michael Jackson did and just like John Lennon did.
yea no sht! lol
There is a sub-group of Germans that have olive complexions and black hair.
They count themselves descended from the Roman soldiers.
Meh.
Ironically, Blanco means "white."
German, Dutch, and other ethnicities. This is a popular canard perpetrated by black racists trying to appropriate other cultural contributions. How utterly ironic.
Similar to black racists claiming all the advances of Egypt as theirs because that country just happens to be in Africa.
Fine! If we let them think Ludwig was black will they finally shut the hell up and stop trying to cancel him? (And sheet music for being raciss)
I’ve always preferred Mozart and others....
Sounds like the beginnings of an effort to tear down all Beethoven statues, prevent any more high screwell and junior high screwell band/orchestra playing of his music, etc.
The jury is in. Reverse Oreo is the verdict, the Joe Cocker of his time.
Methinks Alexander Hamilton is pissed.
So is MLK.
5.56mm
:)
“Austria’s greatest achievement in the 20th Century is convincing the world that Hitler was German and Beethoven was Austrian.” (BTW, the name “Beethoven” is Flemish.)
Is the one on the right Ernest Borgnine?
The dumba$$ that wrote this article can’t do basic math or basic research. Beethoven died in 1827 so he’s been deceased going on 200 years ago, not 300.
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