Famous German composer Ludwig van Beethoven’s cause of deafness is largely unknown, although it has variously been attributed to auto-immune disorders and his habit of immersing his head in cold water to stay awake.
Now, a new study has found Beethoven’s hearing loss was actually linked to lack of high notes in his music. And, his progressive deafness shaped his later musical style as he switched to lower notes as he had difficulty hearing higher ones, the British Medical Journal reported.
For their study, researchers have analysed Beethoven’s music through his life as his hearing problems are said to have progressed. It was found that his compositions gradually included fewer high notes as he aged. Then once total deafness overcame him, the high notes appeared again. The researchers found that Beethoven’s so-called three styles correspond to the progression of his deafness.

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‘Enhanced’ Swift ad pulled from CoverGirl
A mascara ad featuring Taylor Swift has been pulled from US magazines following a complaint that it had been digitally altered to enhance the looks of the chart-topping country music star.
The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus Claims said Proctor and Gamble, maker of CoverGirl cosmetics, “discontinued the advertisement in question” after it challenged its claims.
“The advertising at issue featured a celebrity looking up to highlight her long eyelashes,” it said in a statement Tuesday, referring to Swift, 22, a clean-living role model for many young American women.
— AFP

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Citizen kane Oscar sells for $861,542
Orson Welles’s Oscar for writing Citizen Kane — regarded as one of the best films ever made —sold for $861,542 on Tuesday as a hot market for Hollywood memorabilia helped erase memories of an unsuccessful auctionfour years ago.
The best screenplay statuette awarded in 1942 — the onlyOscar given to Citizen Kane — failed to meet its undisclosed reserve price when it was last up for auction at Sotheby’s NewYork in 2007. At that time it was expected to sell for around $1million. Although tarnished by age, the Oscar, carried a reserve price of between $600,000 and $1million.
— Reuters

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Elvis nominated for posthumous Grammy
Rock ‘n’ Roll King Elvis Presley has been nominated for a posthumous Grammy Award.
Young Man With the Big Beat: The Complete ‘56 Elvis Presley Masters, a five-CD box set of the star’s early recordings — has been tipped in the Best Historical Album category by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, reported MTV online.
The release will go up against records by stars including Paul McCartney and Chris Strachwitz at the award ceremony, which will be held on Feburary 12. Presley garnered 14 Grammy nominations and three wins during his lifetime. — PTI

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Magazine Editor Quits Over Rihanna Article Row
The editor of a Dutch fashion magazine has resigned after using a racial slur to describe R&B superstar Rihanna, who has blasted the publication for being “disrespectful and desperate.”
“I hope u can read english, because your magazine is apoor representation of the evolution of human rights!,” Rihanna wrote.
“I find you disrespectful, and rather desperate!! You ran out of legit, civilized information to print! There are 1000’s of Dutch girls who would love to be recognized for their contributions to your country, you could have given them an article. Instead, u paid to print one degrading an entire race!,” the singer said.
Editor Eva Hoeke, who used N-word to describe Rihanna’s style, apologised twice saying there was no “racist motive” behind the choice of words but it failed to placate readers, the Hollywood Reporter said.
Hoeke said she decided to step down after consulting with publisher Yves Gijrath.
— PTI

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‘27 Club’ of dead rock stars a myth, says study
Paris: Fame boosts the risk of early death for rock stars but the claim that the peril is greatest at the age of 27 is false, according to a study published on Tuesday by the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
The theory of the “27 Club” spread earlier this year when Amy Winehouse joined Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and Brian Jones and other musicians who succumbed to the rock’n’roll lifestyle while in their 27th year.
Health statisticians led by Adrian Barnett of the Queensland University of Technology in Australia put the “27 Club” hypothesis to the test.
They compiled a data base of 1,046 musicians — solo artists and band members — who had a No. 1 album in the British charts between 1956 and 2007, a net that included balladeers, pop singers, R&B and heavy metal.
The first No. 1 was Frank Sinatra’s Songs for Swinging Lovers! on July 28 1956, and the last was Leona Lewis’ Spirit on November 18 2007. During the period under study, 71 of the musicians died, equivalent to seven percent of the sample.
But there was no peak at all in deaths at the age of 27. — AFP