The great composer beethoven died and was buried amid pomp and circumstance in the town cemetery. A few days later, a drunk was stumbling past Ludwig's grave and was startled to hear eerie strains of what might have been music floating out of the maestro's final resting place.

Frightened out of his mind (and hoping it was part of his rather severe hangover), the drunk ran to get the groundskeeper. After listening to the drunk's story, the two men waited a while before warily creeping back to the grave. As they came closer, it became apparent to both men, drunk and sober, that there was definitely sounds coming from Beethoven's grave.

The groundskeeper ran to fetch the local minister while the drunk raised the town. A small crowd followed the minister and the groundskeeper to Beethoven's grave and watched worriedly as the man carefully walked up to the grave and then leaned over to hear the noises.

He listened for a while, bewildered, and suddenly realized what it was he was hearing: Beethoven's ninth symphony -- but it was being played backwards! Now curious, he listened a while longer until he heard -- ah, yes -- now, the eigth symphony, also played backwards. It continued to the seventh, and then the minister realized the obvious.

"It's all right," he told the crowd. "It's just Beethoven decomposing."