People are fascinated to speculate that Beethoven may have died of lead poisoning. But why? Does it make any difference to how we listen to his music? “Indeed, such is our culture’s fascination with the great composers that we cannot resist putting them on the psychiatrist’s couch. Not content with enjoying, respecting and honoring their music for its intrinsic artistic value, we poke and prod their brains and bodies in the hope we might fathom that ultimately unfathomable mystery, the source of their creative genius.” – Chicago Tribune