A tourist in Vienna is going through a graveyard and all
of a sudden he hears some music. No one is around, so he
starts searching for the source. He finally locates the
origin and finds it is coming from a grave with a head-
stone that reads: "Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827." Then
he realizes that the music is the Ninth Symphony and it
is being played backward!

Puzzled, he leaves the graveyard and persuades a friend
to return with him. By the time they arrive back at the
grave, the music has changed. This time it is the Seventh
Symphony, but like the previous piece, it is being played
backward.

Curious, the men agree to consult a music scholar. When
they return with the expert, the Fifth Symphony is
playing, again backward. The expert notices that the
symphonies are being played in the reverse order in
which they were composed, the 9th, then the 7th, then
the 5th.

By the next day the word has spread and a throng has
gathered around the grave. They are all listening to
the Second Symphony being played backward. Just then
the graveyard's caretaker ambles up to the group.

Someone in the group asks him if he has an explanation
for the music. "Don't you get it?" the caretaker says
incredulously. "He's decomposing!"

Tags: Beethoven Joke Graveyard