Assistant professor of musicology Abigail Fine is fascinated by ardent fans of 19th-century German and Austrian composers such as Beethoven, Schubert and Haydn.
Devotees have revered those canonical figures in some interesting, albeit creepy, ways. Fine, a faculty member in the UO’s School of Music and Dance, researches some of the spookier relics sought by obsessed fans and studied by scholars.
One example apropos to Halloween: Haydn’s skull was stolen shortly after his death. It was returned to its rightful place 145 years later alongside the unknown skull that had been used to dupe many fans over the years.
Other such relics include Chopin’s embalmed heart, a “death mask” cast directly from Beethoven’s face and plaster casts of composers’ skulls.
Fine explores what she calls relic culture, captivating students with examples that bring music to life and offer insights into how different cultures grapple with death.
For her international research, she visited sites such as the Austrian monastery where organist Anton Bruckner is, according to his wishes, entombed under his beloved instrument.
Intrigued? Here are more ways to explore music and the macabre:
Learn more about Fine and her research
Explore Fine’s journey into the archives
Check out Fine’s book, “The Composer Embalmed: Relic Culture from Piety to Kitsch”
—Story by Ed Dorsch
—Top photo: Casts of the skulls of Schubert, Haydn and Beethoven (Photo courtesy of Beethoven-Haus Bonn)