Lest there be any doubt that Beethoven was the GOAT, check out this article in today’s Washington Post.
“The year before Beethoven died, the wife of a colleague earnestly wanted a lock of his hair, but she became the victim of a prank. Beethoven and his secretary instead sent a coarse snip of a goat’s beard…”
Makes it kind of awkward when scientists try to sequence your DNA.
Incidentally, Ferdinand Hiller, whom the article cites, was more than just a teenager who collected hair, a notable pianist and composer in his own right. I’ve posted about him once or twice myself.