Thus, a favor for Therese wound up being a piece for Elise. Therese Malfatti may have been Elise’s piano teacher, and the theory is that Beethoven wrote the relatively easy bagatelle for Therese to teach to Elise. A third candidate is another singer named Elise Barensfeld.She, too, turned down his marriage proposal and wound up marrying another composer, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, instead. A second theory is that “Elise” was the German soprano Elisabeth Rockel, another love interest of Beethoven’s.She was also the owner of the manuscript at the time of its discovery, making this theory highly likely. He fell in love with her and proposed marriage in 1810, but was turned down. One theory is that it wasn’t an “Elise” at all! The original manuscript looks to be inscribed “To Therese.” There was a Therese in Beethoven’s life in 1810: Therese Malfatti von Rohrenbach zu Dezza was a friend and former student of the composer’s.There are three reigning theories of who the mysterious “Elise” was: Was the piece a gift for a piano student, or a tribute to a lost love? Thus one of the greatest mysteries in music history was born. However, it’s best known by its nickname, “Für Elise.” This name comes from the manuscript inscription on the front page – a dedication from Beethoven to a dear friend. The piece’s official name is “Bagatelle Number 25 in A minor.” (Why a bagatelle? It’s a name for a piece of music that is short and sweet – it comes from the French word for a “trifle”). This composition has a possibly romantic backstory for a Romantic era, and the title itself is shrouded in mystery. The Romantic period of music was all about contrasting emotions and the human condition, and the rondo structure of this piece showcases a nostalgic and sweet main theme, a sparkly section, and then a stormier section before returning to calm. Despite this emphasis on form, this piece has romantic sensibilities due to the clashing and contrasting emotions in the B and C sections. The beginning strains that we know so well form a familiar A-B-A pattern. The whole piece has three sections and is in rondo form, or A-B-A-C-A. Written towards the end of his middle period of compositions, “Für Elise” uses Classical forms. Beethoven’s compositions spanned from the Classical style to a more Romantic style of composing (after all, the categories emerged later when music historians needed to classify music styles). The highest note in this composition is an E7, two octaves above ledger line C.Ī composition year of 1810 puts this piece toward the end of Beethoven’s Heroic period of composition, although the character of this piece is lighter and sweeter than his symphonies. His hearing remained strongest in the higher register, which may be why this piece is written on the higher notes on the piano. Beethoven could still hear some sounds and voices at this time, but his hearing was growing weaker. ![]() Instead, it was discovered and published 40 years after his death in 1865! It’s believed that Beethoven completed this piece on April 27, 1810, when he was 39 years old. Unlike Beethoven’s other famous compositions, the Fifth Symphony and Ode to Joy, “Für Elise” was not published during his lifetime. The reason these arguments are interminable is that each interpretation contributes something to the understanding of the movement, but does not represent the whole story.The history and origins of “Für Elise”, sheet music, and how to play “Für Elise” on pianoĬomposed by Ludwig van Beethoven, “Für Elise” is one of the most famous and recognizable pieces of piano music in the world. ![]() ![]() Thus there have been interminable arguments as to whether it should be seen as a kind of sonata form (with the "Turkish" music of bar 331, which is in B♭ major, functioning as a kind of second group), or a kind of concerto form (with bars 1–207 and 208–330 together making up a double exposition), or even a conflation of four symphonic movements into one (with bars 331–594 representing a Scherzo, and bars 595–654 a slow movement). But this is rather a loose formulation, at least by comparison with the way in which many twentieth-century critics have tried to codify the movement's form. We might call it a cantata constructed round a series of variations on the "Joy" theme. Beethoven had difficulty describing the finale himself in letters to publishers, he said that it was like his Choral Fantasy, Op.
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