<![CDATA[Resurfaced theory suggests Beethoven may have actually been black]]> https://usagag.com/2020/06/19/resurfaced-theory-suggests-beethoven-may-have-actually-been-black/ Fri, 19 Jun 2020 08:27:28 +0000 hourly 1 https://usagag.com Resurfaced theory suggests Beethoven may have actually been black What are the creme de la creme of patently false internet conspiracy theories?

Not the dark ones, like Pizzagate or Sandy Hook.

Think more along the lines of Avril Lavigne and her clone called Melissa.

Or Stevie Wonder not actually being blind.

Here’s the latest one: Beethoven was black.

Yes, a posts going around the internet has introduced thousands to a dormant conspiracy theory that suggests famed German composer Ludwig Van Beethoven.

Multiple tweets circulating are now asserting that Beethoven was black, providing screenshots of articles and supposed contemporary accounts as “proof”.

A 2015 article from Canadian student newspaper The Concordian appears to be the source of many of the screenshots included in viral tweets.

The “Beethoven is Black” theory last gained traction in 2015 (although it’s been around for at least a century) after a project titled Beethoven Was African that sought to argue that Beethoven had African heritage.

Apparent gaps in Beethoven’s background and contemporary accounts of his appearance were used to fuel the speculation.

All scholarship, research and study of Beethoven’s genealogy suggests he was not black, although he certainly had close documented friendships with black musicians, like violinist George Bridgetower.

That’s not stopped people from enjoying the re-emergence of the conspiracy theory though.

While Beethoven may not be black, some of his musical peers were.

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