DNA Testing – The Mozart Mystery
Despite DNA testing, the mystery around Mozart’s skull deepens.
Some things are better left to the imagination. History is full of unspoken stories, unresolved mysteries and lost souls. But when you’re famous in life, you’re also famous in death. DNA testing has been used to confirm the identities of everyone from famous Egyptian queens to renowned German poets. And Mozart, who has captured the imagination of fans and historians since he revolutionized the music world over two hundred years ago, is no exception.
DNA testing on Mozart’s skull
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born over 250 years ago in Salzburg and scientists have been DNA testing a skull thought to be that of the great man himself. The mission was dubbed ‘CSI Mozart’ after a TV station approached scientists to undertake DNA testing on the skull to uncover the truth. The scientists from the University of Innsbruck in Austria have experience in DNA testing on ancient remains. But the DNA testing on the skull kept in Mozart’s hometown of Salzburg and protected by the Mozarteum foundation since 1902, proved inconclusive.
DNA testing with the US Army
The scientists who worked alongside the US Armed Forces' DNA Identification Laboratory in Maryland failed to find anything conclusive from the DNA testing on the skull. The DNA of the skull was compared to DNA retrieved from the remains of Mozart’s relatives. The remains were thought to be those of Mozart’s grandmother and niece, but DNA tests showed the two women’s remains were in fact not related. Additionally, neither of the female skeletons were related to the skull thought to be Mozart’s.
DNA testing deepens mystery
The DNA testing only deepened the mystery as the graves thought to be where Mozart’s family lay are also now in question. The skull in the Mozarteum is thought to be that which was dug up by the gravedigger who claimed to have buried Mozart. The gravedigger returned to the original burial site ten years later to dig up the skull from Vienna’s Central Cemetery. The skull was then displayed in the Mozarteum until 1940, when it was considered ‘indecent’ and moved to a safe.
It seems, even with DNA testing, there is no end to Mozart’s skull mystery, despite months of tests.
International Biosciences offer a broad range of DNA testing services designed to provide indisputable answers to emotional questions. Whether you seek to establish paternity, prove siblingship or research genealogy, for legal definition or peace of mind, we are able to provide DNA testing at competitive rates, professionally and confidentially. Using state of the art technology we are able to provide conclusive evidence on time, every time. Contact International Biosciences on 01342 850945 or click here to email us.
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