One of the best-known melodies ever written is also the most mysterious.
You know the tune — it’s Beethoven’s “Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor,” better known for its dedication, “Für Elise,” or in English, “For Elise.”
It’s probably the composer’s most famous piece. But no one even knew it existed ’til 40 years after his death, when musicologist Ludwig Nohl claimed to have found the handwritten score in a private home in Munich, and transcribed it for publication.
Almost immediately, people had questions about the newly-discovered number. Like, for instance, who was “Elise?” There’s no record of such a woman in Beethoven’s life.
But it’s a nickname that, frankly, should never have existed. Beethoven did indeed include a dedication on the manuscript, but it was ‘Für Therese’.
Poor Therese must have been slightly miffed when, thanks to a rather slapdash copywriter called Ludwig Nohl, the dedication on the published version of the work was changed to someone quite different.
Beethoven's Fur Elise was actually made for one of his students that he was in love with named Therese. She was a mediocre piano player so he made a melody so easy that even she could play it and impress people (hence the very iconic tune in the beginning) but then he finds out that she was engaged to a different man and so Beethoven basically made the other parts so that she can never play it.
If that's not petty culture then idk what is.
Yes, you have heard the melody before. Here is a link for you to recall : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mVW8tgGY_w
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