Für Elise
Encyclopedia
Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor
A minor
A minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The harmonic minor scale raises the G to G...
(WoO
WoO
WoO is an acronym/abbreviation, derived from the German musical catalog phrase . WoO is a catalogue prepared in 1955 by Hans Halm and Georg Kinsky, listing all of the compositions of Ludwig van Beethoven that were not originally published with an opus number, or survived only as fragments.The...
59 and Bia
Biamonti Catalogue
The Biamonti Catalogue is a catalogue of Ludwig van Beethoven's compositions published in 1968 by the ILTE of Turin. The original name of the work is Catalogo cronologico e tematico di tutte le opere di Beethoven, comprese quelle inedite e gli abbozzi non utilizzati...
515) for solo piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, commonly known as "Für Elise" (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: "For Elise"), is one of Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's most popular compositions. It is usually classified as a bagatelle
Bagatelle (music)
A bagatelle is a short piece of music, typically for the piano, and usually of a light, mellow character. The name bagatelle literally means a "trifle", as a reference to the innocent character of the piece.-Earliest known bagatelle:...
, but it is also sometimes referred to as an Albumblatt
Album leaf (music)
Album leaf is the title of numerous minor compositions by a wide variety of classical composers. It also appears in the French version, Feuille d'album or Feuillet d'album; the German version Albumblatt ; the Russian version Листок из альбома Album leaf is the title of numerous minor compositions...
.
History
The score was not published until 1867, 40 years after the composer's death. The discoverer of the piece, Ludwig NohlLudwig Nohl
Ludwig Nohl was a German music scholar and writer best known for discovering and publishing Beethoven's famous bagatelle, "Für Elise"....
, affirmed that the original autographed manuscript was dated 27 April 1810. This manuscript has been lost.
The version of 'Fur Elise' we hear today is in fact an earlier version that was transcribed by Ludwig Nohl. There is in fact a later version, with drastic changes to accompaniment - which was transcribed from a later manuscript by Barry Cooper. The most notable difference is in the first theme, the left-hand arpeggio's are delayed by a 16th note beat. There are a few extra bars in the transitional section into the B section; and finally - the rising A minor arpeggio figure is moved later into the piece. The tempo marking 'Poco Moto' is believed to have been on the manuscript that Ludwig Nohl transcribed (now lost). The later version includes the marking 'Molto Grazioso'. It's believed that Beethoven intended on adding the piece to a cycle of Bagatelles.
The pianist and musicologist Luca Chiantore argued in his doctoral thesis and his recent book "Beethoven al piano" that Beethoven might not have been the person who gave the piece the form that we know today. Chiantore suggested that the original signed manuscript, upon which Ludwig Nohl claimed to base his transcription, may never have existed. On the other hand, the musicologist Barry Cooper stated, in a 1984 essay in the Musical Times, that one of two surviving sketches closely resembles the published version.
Identity of "Elise"
It is not certain who "Elise" was. Max UngerMax Unger (musicologist)
Max Ernst Unger was a German musicologist. Although he wrote on a variety of subjects, he is chiefly known for his extensive research and writings on the life and works of Ludwig van Beethoven....
suggested that Ludwig Nohl may have transcribed the title incorrectly and the original work may have been named "Für Therese", a reference to Therese Malfatti
Therese Malfatti
Baronin Therese von Droßdik, born Therese Malfatti was an Austrian musician and friend of Ludwig van Beethoven. She is best known as one of the supposed dedicatees of Beethoven's famous bagatelle, Für Elise, WoO 59....
von Rohrenbach zu Dezza (1792–1851). She was a friend and student of Beethoven's to whom he proposed in 1810, though she turned him down to marry the Austrian nobleman and state official Wilhelm von Droßdik in 1816. According to a recent study by Klaus Martin Kopitz, there is flimsy evidence that the piece was written for the German soprano singer Elisabeth Röckel
Elisabeth Röckel
Elisabeth Röckel was a German opera singer, and the wife of the composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel.She was a friend of composer Ludwig van Beethoven from 1808. During the days before Beethoven's death, she and her husband Hummel visited Beethoven several times, and cut and saved a lock of his hair...
(1793–1883), later the wife of Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Johann Nepomuk Hummel or Jan Nepomuk Hummel was an Austrian composer and virtuoso pianist. His music reflects the transition from the Classical to the Romantic musical era.- Life :...
. "Elise", as she was called by a parish priest (she called herself "Betty" too), had been a friend of Beethoven's since 1808. In the meantime the Austrian musicologist Michael Lorenz has shown that Rudolf Schachner, who in 1851 inherited Therese von Droßdik's musical scores, was the illegitimate son of Babette Bredl (who in 1865 let Nohl copy the autograph in her possession). Thus the autograph must have come to Babette Bredl from Therese von Droßdik's estate and Kopitz's hypothesis is refuted.
Music
| (MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface MIDI is an industry-standard protocol, first defined in 1982 by Gordon Hall, that enables electronic musical instruments , computers and other electronic equipment to communicate and synchronize with each other... rendition) |
The piece is in A minor
A minor
A minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The harmonic minor scale raises the G to G...
and is set in 3/8 time
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
. It begins with an A minor theme marked 'Poco moto' (with movement), with the left hand playing arpeggio
Arpeggio
An arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously...
s alternating between A minor and E major. It then moves into a brief section based around C major and G major, before returning to the original theme. It then enters a lighter section in the subdominant key, F major. It consists of a similar texture to the A section,where the right hand plays a melody over left hand arpeggios. It then enters a 32nd note C major figure before returning to the A section. The piece then moves to an agitated theme in D minor with an A pedal point, as the right hand plays diminished chords. This section then concludes with an ascending A minor arpeggio before beginning a chromatic descent over two octaves, and then returning to the A section. The piece ends in its starting key of A minor with an authentic cadence
Cadence (music)
In Western musical theory, a cadence is, "a melodic or harmonic configuration that creates a sense of repose or resolution [finality or pause]." A harmonic cadence is a progression of two chords that concludes a phrase, section, or piece of music...
. Despite being called a bagatelle
Bagatelle (music)
A bagatelle is a short piece of music, typically for the piano, and usually of a light, mellow character. The name bagatelle literally means a "trifle", as a reference to the innocent character of the piece.-Earliest known bagatelle:...
, the piece is in rondo
Rondo
Rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in music in a number of ways, most often in reference to a musical form, but also to a character-type that is distinct from the form...
form. The structure is A - B - A - C -A. The first theme is not technically difficult and is often taught alone as it provides a good basic exercise for piano pedalling technique. However, much greater technique is required for the B section as well as the rapid rising A minor figure in the C section.
The letters that spell Elise can be decoded as the first three notes of the piece. Because an E is called an Es in German and is pronounced as "S", that makes E-(L)-(I)-S-E: E-(L)-(I)-E-E, which by enharmonic
Enharmonic
In modern musical notation and tuning, an enharmonic equivalent is a note , interval , or key signature which is equivalent to some other note, interval, or key signature, but "spelled", or named, differently...
equivalents sounds the same as E-(L)-(I)-D-E. Furthermore, since "Dis" is the pronunciation of D, if the first several notes of the composition are sung with note names, it becomes E-Dis-E-Dis-E (...), creating a word that, as a mondegreen
Mondegreen
A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song...
, sounds significantly similar to the name "Elise" (the "L" sound
Alveolar lateral approximant
The alveolar lateral approximant, also known as clear l, is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents dental, alveolar, and postalveolar lateral approximants is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is l.As a...
and "D" sound
Voiced alveolar plosive
The voiced alveolar plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents voiced dental, alveolar, and postalveolar plosives is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is d.-Features:Features of the voiced...
are alveolar consonants). The same notion however is also valid for the name "Therese".
External links
- Michael Lorenz: "'Die enttarnte Elise'. Die kurze Karriere der Elisabeth Röckel als Beethovens 'Elise'", Bonner Beethoven-Studien vol. 9, (Bonn: Beethoven-Haus, 2011), 169-90 Article online
- Video clip: Story of Für Elise plus performance by Jeffrey Siegel
- Für Elise for Piano & Orchestra Arranged by Georgii Cherkin
- Nohl's first publication of "Für Elise" in 1867
- Für Elise sheet music, and free recording by Valentina Lisitsa
- "Für Elise" at the Mutopia ProjectMutopia projectThe Mutopia Project is a volunteer-run effort to create a library of free content sheet music, in a way similar to Project Gutenberg's library of public domain books.The music is reproduced from old scores that are out of copyright...
- A midi of the revised version Beethoven was working on in 1822