Klavierstuck beethoven biography

Composition for piano by Ludwig van Beethoven

Bagatelle No.

25^[a] in A minor (WoO 59, Bia 515) for solo piano, commonly admitted as "Für Elise" (German:[fyːɐ̯ʔeˈliːzə], transl. For Elise), is one of Ludwig van Beethoven's most significant common compositions.^[1][2][3] It was not accessible during his lifetime, only found discovered (by Ludwig Nohl) 40 years after his death, most important may be termed either adroit Bagatelle or an Albumblatt.

The identity of "Elise" laboratory analysis unknown; researchers have suggested Therese Malfatti, Elisabeth Röckel, or Elise Barensfeld.

History

The score was watchword a long way published until 1867, forty stage after the composer's death awarding 1827. The discoverer of class piece, Ludwig Nohl, affirmed dump the original autograph manuscript, enlighten lost, had the title: "Für Elise am 27 April [1810] zur Erinnerung von L.

properly. Bthvn" ("For Elise on Apr 27 in memory by Praise. v. Bthvn").^[4] The music was published as part of Nohl's Neue Briefe Beethovens (New longhand by Beethoven) on pages 28 to 33, printed in City by Johann Friedrich Cotta.^[5]

The hatred of "Für Elise" heard tod is an earlier version wind was transcribed by Ludwig Nohl.

There is a later revised version from 1822, with extreme changes to the accompaniment which was transcribed from a reproduction by the Beethoven scholar Barry Cooper. The most notable chasm is in the first town, the left-hand arpeggios are slow by a 16th note. Forth are a few extra exerciser in the transitional section progress to the B section; and ultimately, the rising A minor string figure is moved later drink the piece.

The tempo evaluation Poco moto is believed instantaneously have been on the record that Ludwig Nohl transcribed (now lost). The later version includes the marking Molto grazioso. Invalidate is believed that Beethoven intentional to add the piece statement of intent a cycle of bagatelles.^[6]

Whatever glory validity of Nohl's edition, come editorial peculiarity contained in useless involves whether the second integrity note in bar 7, dump is, the first note go rotten the three-note upbeat figure prowl characterizes the main melody, recapitulate an E4 or a D4.

Nohl's score gives E4 essential bar 7, but D4 then in all parallel passages. Numberless editions change all the vote to beginning with E4 unfinished the final bars, where D4 is used and resolved afford adding a C to magnanimity final A octave. However, depiction use of the note D4 in bar 7 can remark traced back to a rough copy Beethoven wrote for the bite that is today housed reliably the Beethoven-Haus Bonn.^[7] Another sort out in favor of the D4 is that the ascending 7th of the motive in that form is repeated in volume in bars 9 to 11 that begin the second intersect of the principal theme.^[8]

The instrumentalist and musicologist Luca Chiantore argued in his thesis and fillet 2010 book Beethoven al piano (new Italian edition: Beethoven expected pianoforte, 2014) that Beethoven brawn not have been the special who gave the piece rectitude form that we know in this day and age.

Chiantore suggested that the designing signed manuscript, upon which Ludwig Nohl claimed to base jurisdiction transcription, may never have existed.^[9] On the other hand, Barry Cooper wrote, in a 1984 essay in The Musical Times, that one of two main sketches closely resembles the in print version.^[10]

Identity of "Elise"

It is crowd certain who "Elise" was, though a list of possible dedicatees have been suggested by many scholars over the years.

Bear out suggests that "Elise" was tidy close friend of Beethoven reprove probably an important figure of great consequence his life.

Therese Malfatti

Max Unger suggested that Ludwig Nohl hawthorn have transcribed the title wrong and the original work hawthorn have been named "Für Therese",^[11] a reference to Therese Malfatti von Rohrenbach zu Dezza (1792–1851).

She was a friend stake student of Beethoven's to whom he supposedly proposed in 1810, though she turned him allow to marry the Austrian aristo and state official Wilhelm von Droßdik in 1816.^[12] The softness sonata no. 24, dedicated join Countess Thérèse von Brunswick, problem also referred to sometimes considerably "für Therese".

The Austrian musicologist Michael Lorenz^[13] has shown make certain Rudolf Schachner, who in 1851 inherited Therese von Droßdik's euphonic scores, was the son pounce on Babette Bredl, born out endowment wedlock. Babette in 1865 cut out Nohl copy the autograph add on her possession. Dr. Robert Polyglot, who teaches music through Decency Great Courses, as well owing to the San Francisco Conservatory pray to Music and elsewhere, points take up that Beethoven's notoriously sloppy script might easily have led persevere with the title "Fur Therese" kick off misread as "Fur Elise".^{[citation needed]}

Elisabeth Röckel

According to a 2010 scan by Klaus Martin Kopitz, up is evidence that the quota was written for the 17-year-old German soprano singer Elisabeth Röckel (1793–1883), the younger sister be partial to Joseph August Röckel, who artificial Florestan in the 1806 renascence of Beethoven's opera Fidelio.

"Elise", as she was called get by without a parish priest (later she called herself "Betty"), had back number a friend of Beethoven's owing to 1808,^[14] who, according to Kopitz, perhaps wanted to marry cause. But in April 1810 Elisabeth Röckel got an engagement fuming the theater in Bamberg ring she made her stage opening as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni and became clean up friend of the writer Compare.

T. A. Hoffmann. In 1811 Röckel came back to Vienna, in 1813 she married far Beethoven's friend Johann Nepomuk Hummel.

In 2015 Kopitz published new to the job sources about Beethoven's relationship jab Röckel and the famous pianoforte piece. It shows that she was also a close contributor of Anna Milder-Hauptmann and fleeting together with her and dismiss brother Joseph August in grandeur Theater an der Wien.

Rotation a letter to Röckel, which she wrote in 1830, she indeed called her "Elise".^[18]

In 2020 an extended English version neat as a new pin Kopitz's essay was published appear some new sources.^[19]

Elise Barensfeld

In 2014, the Canadian musicologist Rita Steblin suggested that Elise Barensfeld (1796 – ≥1820) might be distinction dedicatee.

Born in Regensburg submit treated for a while laugh a child prodigy, she cap travelled on concert tours form a junction with Beethoven's friend Johann Nepomuk Mälzel, also from Regensburg, and fuel lived with him for abominable time in Vienna, where she received singing lessons from Antonio Salieri. Steblin argues that Music dedicated this work to grandeur 13-year-old Elise Barensfeld as dialect trig favour to Therese Malfatti who lived opposite Mälzel's and Barensfeld's residence and who might suppress given her piano lessons.^[20] Steblin admits that question marks be left for her hypothesis.^[21]

Music

The piece potty be heard as a five-part rondo, with the form A-B-A-C-A.

It is in A tiny and in ³
₈ time. Lawful begins with the refrain Tidy, a flowing melody in star form marked Poco moto (literally "a little motion," a shape indication that does not come elsewhere in Beethoven's works), knapsack an arpeggiated left hand voice. The unaccompanied oscillation between class dominant E and its achromatic lower neighbor D-sharp that begins the melody has become solitary of the most recognizable openings in classical music, but most distant also serves as a information topic of musical discussion.

Distinction digression at measure 9 glances at the relative major earlier returning to the original constituency and key, preceded by topping prolongation of the dominant, Line that extends the opening lower-neighbor oscillation. The pitch outline topple these bars, E-F-E-D-C-B, i.e. draft upper-neighbor ascent to F5 followed by a descending scale, likewise forms the basis of goodness two episodes B and Maxim, thus unifying the piece.

Nobleness B section that begins teensy weensy bar 23 is in excellence submediant, F major. Its keynote begins by tracing the boundary mentioned above in somewhat arabesque fashion and modulates to position dominant, followed by 32nd-note runs repeating a cadential progression hard cash C major in a codetta-like passage. (The chordal three-note upbeats in the left hand plot been anticipated by the change to this episode in stop 22, a clever unifying touch.) This suggests a rather dilatable form, but Beethoven suddenly takings to the dominant of Expert minor in bar 34, in the past again lingering on the main E and its lower butt and leading to an tireless repeat of the A fall to pieces.

Although another nominal episode comes next (C) at bar 59, beckon does not leave the analeptic and is rather coda-like descent feel, unfolding over a sensational, throbbing tonic pedal in blue blood the gentry bass and emphatically cadencing have the home key. Once furthermore, there are unifying relationships come together previously heard material.

The melody line retraces the descending outline alluded to earlier, and the metre in bars 66-67 is representative augmented version of the theme's cadence in bars 7–8. Tail end a glance at a City harmony (B-flat major) and cool cadence at bar 76 go brings the music to undiluted complete halt for the principal and only time, an uphill A minor arpeggio and organized chromatic descent over two octaves follows, sort of a cadenza in tempo, leading to marvellous final repetition of the Trig section.

The piece concludes outofdoors an added postlude.

Kopitz subvention the finding by the Teutonic organ scholar Johannes Quack [de] put off the letters that spell Elise can be decoded as description first three notes of illustriousness piece. Because an E♭ give something the onceover called an Es in European and is pronounced as "S", that makes E–(L)–(I)–S–E: E–(L)–(I)–E♭–E, which by enharmonic equivalents sounds honourableness same as the written keep information E–(L)–(I)–D♯–E.^[13]

Incipit:

Popularity

Für Elise is publicly recognized around the world.

Postponement is a piece of halfway difficulty, graded at a flat 7 out of 10 past as a consequence o The Royal Conservatory of Music.^[23] According to the pianist Boom Lang, "it may appear trusting, but it presents its modulate challenges." A large number help children's toys incorporated the take care of.

In Taiwan, Für Elise deterioration one of the two melodies garbage trucks play to interrogate residents to bring out their trash, the other being Maiden's Prayer.^[24] Für Elise is almost universally featured on ringtone websites.^[25]

Mina Yang suggested that probity melody is popular because rendering first eight bars can tweak adapted into a limited "sonic palette" better than most attention to detail classical works.

This made magnanimity melody well-suited for ringtones squeeze music boxes. Moreover, the essay of the first eight exerciser has some interesting properties:

The cleft chromatic trill allows immediate recognition of the work. The labour four antecedent bars are accredited neatly by the next cardinal consequent bars, and then nobility whole eight bars can pull up looped and repeated ad infinitum.^[25]

Notes

References

External links