Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies
Encyclopedia
The Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies serves as a museum, research center, and host of lectures and performances devoted solely to the life and works of Ludwig van Beethoven
. It is the only institution of its kind in North America
and holds the largest collection of Beethoven works and memorabilia outside Europe
. The center is operated by San Jose State University
and the American Beethoven Society. It is located on the fifth floor of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
, which is located on the San Jose State campus in downtown San Jose, California
.
real estate developer, donated his collection of Beethoven memorabilia to San Jose State University with the understanding that the material would be used to start a center devoted to Beethoven's life and works. Including 75 first editions, Brilliant's was considered the finest private collection of Beethoven memorabilia in the United States. The center opened to the public in 1985.
, musicologist and emeritus professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
.
.
.
, a German
composer
and conductor
who had traveled to Vienna
to spend time with Beethoven before he died. Hiller later made the lock a gift to his son Paul, who explained its history on the back of a locket containing the hair. After that, the ownership of the lock is uncertain, until it resurfaced in 1943 as payment to a Danish doctor named Kay Alexander Fremming for medical treatment given to Jews
escaping Nazism
.
In 1994, the Fremming estate auctioned the lock at Sotheby's
in London
for £3,600 ($7,300 including commission) to four members of the American Beethoven Society: Dr. Alfredo Guevara, Ira Brilliant, Dr. Thomas Wendel, and Caroline Crummey. The lock was named in honor of Dr. Guevara, the principal investor, who kept a small portion of the hair and donated the rest to the Center for Beethoven Studies. The remaining investors donated their entire portions to the center. The original lock consisted of 582 brown, white and grey hairs, from three to six inches in length. The Center for Beethoven Studies has 422 of those hairs, along with the original locket used by Hiller.
In 1996, Brilliant and Guevara contacted the Health Research Institute - Pfeiffer Treatment Center
in Naperville, Illinois
to perform tests on some of the hairs from Dr. Guevara's share. Dr. William Walsh headed the project, and his report revealed concentrations of lead 100 times the norm in Beethoven's hair, leading many to theorize that lead poisoning
contributed to his poor health and perhaps his death.
The history of the lock and the clues it yielded on Beethoven's health have been chronicled in the nonfiction book "Beethoven’s Hair", by Russell Martin. There was also a documentary of the same name made for Canadian television. In 2005, the documentary won several Gemini Awards, including Best Writing in a Documentary Program or Series and Best Direction in a Performing Arts Program or Series.
, a reproduction of a 1795 Dulcken
fortepiano, a clavichord
, and a harpsichord
. The Dulcken fortepiano, which has a range of 5 octave
s over 66 keys, is a copy of an original held by the Smithsonian Institution
. Visitors are allowed to play the Dulcken fortepiano, clavichord and harpsichord.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
. It is the only institution of its kind in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and holds the largest collection of Beethoven works and memorabilia outside Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The center is operated by San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
and the American Beethoven Society. It is located on the fifth floor of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library is a 136 foot tall public library in Downtown San Jose, California, United States that opened on August 1, 2003. As of 2007, it is the largest library building in the western United States built in a single construction project with over 475,000 square feet ...
, which is located on the San Jose State campus in downtown San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
.
History
The center was established in 1983 when Ira F. Brilliant, an ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
real estate developer, donated his collection of Beethoven memorabilia to San Jose State University with the understanding that the material would be used to start a center devoted to Beethoven's life and works. Including 75 first editions, Brilliant's was considered the finest private collection of Beethoven memorabilia in the United States. The center opened to the public in 1985.
Operation
San Jose State University and the American Beethoven Society share the duties of running the center. San Jose State runs the center as a special collection of its library, providing space and staff. The American Beethoven Society funds many of the center's activities, such as the publication of the semiannual Beethoven Journal and the acquisition of new materials.Collection
The center has expanded its holdings over the years through donations and acquisitions, notably the 1987 purchase of the collection of Beethoven scholar William S. NewmanWilliam S. Newman
William Stein Newman was an American musicologist.He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. From 1945 he taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill...
, musicologist and emeritus professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
.
Reference materials
The center holds over 4,000 books and publications about Beethoven - including a rare 1783 issue of Cramer's Magazin der Musik, the first mention of Beethoven in print - and photocopies of over 8,000 articles concerning him. There is also a large microfiche collection, including microfiche of all Beethoven manuscripts held by the Berlin State LibraryBerlin State Library
The Berlin State Library is a library in Berlin, Germany and a property of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.-Buildings:The State Library runs several premises, three of which are open for users, namely House 1 in Unter den Linden 8, House 2 in Potsdamer Straße 33 and the newspaper archive...
.
Works and memorabilia
The center's collection of Beethoven first editions has grown to 300, the largest collection in North America. This includes first editions of all of the string quartets and most of the piano sonatas. There are also over 2,200 "early editions", published during Beethoven's lifetime or in the 19th century. There is also a listening/viewing area to sample the center's library of audio recordings and performance videos. The center also holds various items in his handwriting, and a copy of his death maskDeath mask
In Western cultures a death mask is a wax or plaster cast made of a person’s face following death. Death masks may be mementos of the dead, or be used for creation of portraits...
.
The Guevara Lock
Of the holdings of the center, the most well-known is probably a lock of Beethoven's hair known as the Guevara Lock. The lock was cut on March 27, 1827, one day after Beethoven's death, by Ferdinand HillerFerdinand Hiller
Ferdinand Hiller was a German composer, conductor, writer and music-director.-Biography:Ferdinand Hiller was born to a wealthy Jewish family in Frankfurt am Main, where his father Justus was a merchant in English textiles – a business eventually continued by Ferdinand’s brother Joseph...
, a German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
who had traveled to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to spend time with Beethoven before he died. Hiller later made the lock a gift to his son Paul, who explained its history on the back of a locket containing the hair. After that, the ownership of the lock is uncertain, until it resurfaced in 1943 as payment to a Danish doctor named Kay Alexander Fremming for medical treatment given to Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
escaping Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
.
In 1994, the Fremming estate auctioned the lock at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for £3,600 ($7,300 including commission) to four members of the American Beethoven Society: Dr. Alfredo Guevara, Ira Brilliant, Dr. Thomas Wendel, and Caroline Crummey. The lock was named in honor of Dr. Guevara, the principal investor, who kept a small portion of the hair and donated the rest to the Center for Beethoven Studies. The remaining investors donated their entire portions to the center. The original lock consisted of 582 brown, white and grey hairs, from three to six inches in length. The Center for Beethoven Studies has 422 of those hairs, along with the original locket used by Hiller.
In 1996, Brilliant and Guevara contacted the Health Research Institute - Pfeiffer Treatment Center
Pfeiffer Treatment Center
The Pfeiffer Treatment Center is a U.S. clinic devoted to orthomolecular psychiatry and medical research particularly pertaining to autism and pyroluria, and the neurobiology of criminal behavior.- About the Center:...
in Naperville, Illinois
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
to perform tests on some of the hairs from Dr. Guevara's share. Dr. William Walsh headed the project, and his report revealed concentrations of lead 100 times the norm in Beethoven's hair, leading many to theorize that lead poisoning
Lead poisoning
Lead poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of the heavy metal lead in the body. Lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems...
contributed to his poor health and perhaps his death.
The history of the lock and the clues it yielded on Beethoven's health have been chronicled in the nonfiction book "Beethoven’s Hair", by Russell Martin. There was also a documentary of the same name made for Canadian television. In 2005, the documentary won several Gemini Awards, including Best Writing in a Documentary Program or Series and Best Direction in a Performing Arts Program or Series.
Instruments
The center has several musical instruments on display: an original 1827 Viennese fortepianoFortepiano
Fortepiano designates the early version of the piano, from its invention by the Italian instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori around 1700 up to the early 19th century. It was the instrument for which Haydn, Mozart, and the early Beethoven wrote their piano music...
, a reproduction of a 1795 Dulcken
Dulcken
The Dulcken family were Flemish harpsichord makers of German origin.Joannes Daniel Dulcken was born in Wingeshausen, the son of Georg Ludwig Dulcken . In 1736 he was in Maastricht, but by 1738 he had moved with his wife Susanna Maria Knopffell and their son to Antwerp where they became members of...
fortepiano, a clavichord
Clavichord
The clavichord is a European stringed keyboard instrument known from the late Medieval, through the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras. Historically, it was widely used as a practice instrument and as an aid to composition, not being loud enough for larger performances. The clavichord produces...
, and a harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
. The Dulcken fortepiano, which has a range of 5 octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
s over 66 keys, is a copy of an original held by the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. Visitors are allowed to play the Dulcken fortepiano, clavichord and harpsichord.
External links
- Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies - official site