Was Beethoven Black? Twitter Debates Race of German Composer

Newsweek ^ | June 18, 2020 | Seren Morris

[Stravinsky]

Twitter users are debating whether or not Beethoven was black after a blog post about the subject resurfaced online.

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In the post on The Concordian, the author said: "I am no Beethoven expert, but bringing up this topic is important. While getting to the bottom of the truth about Beethoven's race will change nothing about the supreme quality of his music, it will open up dialogue about the massive effects of European colonialism that promote racism still today.

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However, there is no evidence of Beethoven's race aside from portraits that suggest that he was white, and the blog post merely offers up speculation. The conspiracy theory that Beethoven was black "is not based on genealogical studies of Beethoven's past," according to the Beethoven Center at San Jose State University, but rather "is based on the assumption that one of Beethoven's ancestors had a child out of wedlock."

The Beethoven Center adds: "It is important to note that no one called Beethoven black or a moor during his lifetime, and the Viennese were keenly aware both of Moors and of mulattos, such as George Bridgetower, the famous violinist who collaborated with Beethoven."

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Despite this, many Twitter users began sharing The Concordian story on Thursday.

One Twitter user said: "White historians continue to prove how gross they are, they literally tried to paint one of the best-known musicians as a caucasian and made us believe for years that he was white when Beethoven was black... White people tryna whitewash history again."

A Twitter user shared a TikTok imagining what listening to new music in the 1800s would have been like and said: "This is funnier now that we know that Beethoven is black."

[Varda]

Just for reference, below is a Moor from the 19th century. They were/are Caucasion. Europeans have a different meaning for the words "race" and "white" or "black".

[JennysCool]

Regarding this and all the craziness we’ve got going:

People have WAY too much free time at the moment.

[OrangeHoof]

Sure. Ludwig LaMarcus Van Beethoven...

[Publius]

If you translate his name into English, it’s Louis Beetgarden. Sure sounds black to me.

[elcid1970]

Or, as they say in Loozyana, Pushkin was an octoroon.

Hmm...so was Sally Hemings. Enough to make her a slave.

[Mastador1]

I see how it is with these morons, it’s not enough to have the actual Black inventors, authors, musicians, thinkers, leaders etc. that made real contributions to the world, now they have to culturally appropriate the greats of other cultures and races. Are they so insecure in their own culture, achievements? Is that why there are such things as ‘Hamilton’, because predominately the only movies and music coming out from Blacks is vile hatred and disgusting violence about drug deals, murder and rape?

[Jewbacca]

I declare all Confederate Generals and George Washington mulatto so they will leave the statues alone.

Also, Abraham Lincoln was a woman. You can tell by the beard.

[Major Matt Mason]

Judging by most of today's black "music", not bloody likely.

[libh8er]

When the Left want to elevate their victim groups, they appropriate successful people or things from outside their victim groups into their victim groups. Somebody who wasn't black was black. Somebody who wasn't gay was gay. Somebody who wasn't a Muslim was Muslim (except Obama). Something that did not originate in Africa originated in Africa..etc

[bgill]

Yes, he does have a little black in him.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

[redcatcherb412]

hmmmmm trying to picture Beethoven as a "schwarze Deutsche", nope nope, not happening. Unless I hear a rap version of "Für Elise", it just wasn't happening in the Fatherland back then.

[pabianice]

So was Plato. And Lincoln. And your mom.

[Savage Beast]

Maybe somebody could do a DNA test on Beethoven's body and find out. Queen Charlotte too.

Come to think of it--why not exhume all bodies all over the world and find out just who's who???

If we could line up all our ancestors and check 'em out, we'd all be in for some big surprises. We just might get this opportunity in the afterlife--something to look forward to. It'll be fun.

[IronJack]

More revisionist claptrap. These transparent attempts to appropriate white peoples’ successes would be embarrassing if liberals had any sense of shame.

[IronJack]

I believe Paul Simon has experimented with African musical themes as well. And to my knowledge, he is not black.

[snarkytart]

When did what random libtard worthless Twatter Trolls and Tik Tok teenY boppers become “news.”

The Soros media started the trend of embedding random Twatter user posts in news stories and commenting on this trash like it is news.

This has as much newsworthiness as a debate at the local flat earth convention.

Twatter is not news. Twatter is disconnected with reality. The media is driving this nonsense and giving Twatter trolls legitimacy that they haven’t earned and do not deserve.
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These are the same people who get to decide who keeps their jobs over something “offensive” when in reality they don’t have any real market power. The media use them as a weapon.
Why would corporations bow to social media “outrage”?? Who gave them his power and why?

[snarkytart]

Worse is the media who will use a tweet from a nobody, then write an article titled “Some say...”. It’s a cheap way for the MSM to editorialize against Pres. Trump with the veneer of a “news” story.
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yep

[snarkytart]

north africans mixed with spanish

[MikelTackNailer]

Good one! Gotta say, though, that Gary Oldman really pissed me off portraying Winston Churchill as a total self-doubting wussie. Even if that was the fault of the film-makers he didn’t need to take that role (”The Darkest Hour”). Turn in your Englishman card, Gary.