DNA may determine if skull is Mozart’s

DNA tests could soon solve a century-old mystery -- whether a skull held by the International Mozarteum Foundation is that of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Archeologists have opened a grave in Salzburg thought to contain the remains of Mozart’s father and other relatives. Experts plan to compare the remains’ genetic material with the foundation’s skull to determine if it belonged to the famed Austrian composer.

Mozart died in 1791 and was buried in a pauper’s grave at Vienna’s St. Marxer Cemetery. The location of the grave was initially unknown, but its likely location was determined in 1855.

Legend has it that a gravedigger who knew which body was Mozart’s sneaked the skull out of the grave. Through different channels, the skull came to the Mozarteum in Salzburg in 1902, said Dr. Stephan Pauly, the foundation’s director.

The foundation, a private nonprofit organization that works to preserve Mozart’s legacy, was founded in 1880. It made the skull available for the DNA test and is “following this project with great interest,” Pauly said.

The outcome of the testing is expected to be presented early next year.