Beethoven's Fur Elise; A Must For Piano Players

By: Terje Brooks | Posted: 16th April 2008

When it comes to piano pieces, "Fur Elise" by Beethoven is perhaps one of the most popular and easily recognizable in the world. People who may not know the name of the piece are sure to recognize it once they hear the melody. The Fur Elise melody has permeated our society. In fact, its melody has been used over the years -- hundreds of pianists have included it in their repertoire, it is in many classical music compilations, and its melodic strains have been used in many baby toys.

"Fur Elise" is not the piece's official title. It's actually Bagatelle in A Minor WoO59. People know it as "Fur Elise," a German phrase that means "For Elise." This famous piece became known to the world as "Fur Elise" because of the controversy that surrounds it. "Fur Elise" is actually a dedication note that Beethoven wrote on the manuscript.

So who is Elise? More importantly, who was she in Beethoven's life? Many believe that Beethoven wrote the emotional piece in 1810, the year when he hoped to marry a woman named Therese Malfatti. Therese, however, turned down Beethoven's proposal of marriage. Many theorize that the person who transcribed the piece after Beethoven's death incorrectly read the dedication in the manuscript. Instead of translating it as "Fur Therese", he translated it as "Fur Elise."

The above account is by no means accurate. Many scholars dispute the account. They contend that Elise is probably another woman in Beethoven's life or it may have just been a name that Beethoven decided to scrawl on his manuscript. Needless to say, the jury is still out on the real score on the story behind "Fur Elise."

But regardless of how Beethoven came to write this emotional and memorable piece, no one can question it's place in the world of classical music. It's undeniably one of the greatest classical pieces ever composed.

Let's examine for a moment the real title of the piece. "Bagatelle" is a style of music, and the term roughly translates to "a trifle." A bagatelle, in the musical world, is a musical form that is short, light and mellow. In addition, Beethoven's Fur Elise uses another musical form, the rondo. It uses the A B A C A structure with some variations. Furthermore, the melody is in A minor, but this shouldn't come as a surprise as Beethoven's music tends to be in this key. Woven into the piece are discordant notes and shifting of the tonal center. The result? A melody that is timeless.

The ability that Beethoven possessed to put raw emotions to music is captured forever in the notes of Fur Elise. Arguably his most popular piece written, it is amazing that it was not played during his lifetime for an audience. It is a shame that Fur Elise was only found long after Beethoven's death. Perhaps he could have shed some light on who the mysterious Elise was that so inspired him. The melody touches many people even today, who don't even know of the mysteries that surround it. One can hope that whoever Elise was, that she got to hear the music that she inspired. One would think that even if the mystery were cleared up, Fur Elise would continue to delight music lovers for centuries to come. The emotions that we feel through Beethoven's music continues to touch everyone who hears it, whether they be young or old. Beethoven's Fur Elise will continue to be a favorite among those who play the piano, as well as anyone who enjoys any form of classical music.

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Tags: manuscript, pianists, melody, beethoven, style of music, real score, classical music, trifle, classical pieces, baby toys