Für Elise

"Für Elise" (German for For Elise) is the common name of the song "Bagatelle in A minor." It was written for the piano by the composer Ludwig van Beethoven in 1810. The song is thought to be written for Therese, a woman that Beethoven wanted to marry in 1810. It is believed that his handwriting was not translated correctly when the song was transcribed. This caused the piece to be known as " Für Elise" rather than " Für Therese".

The piece of music was not published until 1865. This was a long time after the death of Beethoven. It is one of the most well-known pieces of piano music in the world.

Form

The piece is in rondo form. There is a main section (A) which appears three times. Between these three sections there are two other sections (B and C), so the form of the piece can be described as: A B A C A.

The main section has a time signature of 3/8. It is based on arpeggios which flow from one hand to the other. This is the section that many beginner pianists want to play. The two middle sections are harder to play at the correct speed. They have fast scales, arpeggios and left hand demisemiquavers (32nd notes).

References

• Woodstra, Chris. et al. 2005. All Music Guide to Classical Music. All Media Guide, LLC. p. 104. ISBN 0-87930-865-6

• What is the meaning of Beethoven’s ‘Für Elise’ – and who was Elise?

Other websites

• Für Elise - and other Beethoven resources (includes the free sheet music)