The Essay

Phil Hebblethwaite examines five classical musical hoaxes and controversies, from the early twentieth century to the modern day. These are origin stories that have fooled and perplexed some of the greatest experts. In an age of misinformation, when faking it has never been more prevalent, the series unravels the stories of some of the most brazen and confounding composer controversies. What is the appeal of engineering a hoax? And why do we fall for them so easily? It’s a journey that raises questions about scholarship, authenticity and our faith in expert opinion.Mamoru Samuragochi became famous in the 2000s as the ‘Japanese Beethoven’ – a deaf composer whose music touched millions of classical fans and crossed over to a mainstream audience by being used in computer games. But was Samuragochi actually deaf and was he even composing his own works? In his last essay in the series, Phil considers the impact of hoaxes on our trust in authenticity and celebrity.Written and presented by Phil Hebblethwaite Producer