Classical Notes: September 8, 2009 Archive

Fur Elise = Found Elise

Posted at 8:13 AM on September 8, 2009 by Rex Levang
Filed under: Fun finds

If you know any classical piano pieces at all, you're likely to know Beethoven's "Fur Elise" ("For Elise").

But who was this Elise for whom the piece was written? No one knew for sure. The most widely held theory (promulgated in this space, in fact) was that she was a friend of Beethoven's, actually named Therese.

Now a German musicologist has a new explanation. She was an acquaintance of Beethoven's who has been overlooked till now, and her name was Elise after all (or pretty close).Read all about it!