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Home > Beethoven, Ludwig van > Bagatelle 'Für Elise' a-moll

Beethoven, Ludwig van : Bagatelle 'Für Elise' a-moll WoO 59

Work Overview

Music ID : 446
Composition Year：1810　
Publication Year：1867
First Publisher：Stuttgart
Instrumentation：Piano Solo　
Genre：bagatelle
Total Playing Time：3 min 30 sec
Copyright：Public Domain
Additional Notes：ロンド形式。楽譜を発見、出版したノールが「テレーゼ」を「エリーゼ」と読み違えたという説が有力である。
bagatelle
Piano Solo
piano solo
a moll

Commentary (2)

Author : Nakaduka, Yurina

Last Updated: May 12, 2015
[Open]
Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

Composed in 1810, it was published in 1867 in L. Nohl's Neue Briefe Beethovens (New Letters of Beethoven), published in Stuttgart. Due to the absence of any woman named Elise in Beethoven's circle, various theories have been proposed. The theory that it was composed for Therese Malfatti, with whom Beethoven was infatuated (and that 'Elise' was a misreading of 'Therese'), is particularly famous. However, there is also a theory that it was for Elisabeth Röckel (who later married Hummel), and the truth remains unknown to this day.

Note that 'Bagatelle' means 'a short piece'.

Writer: Nakaduka, Yurina

Author : Nakaduka, Yurina

Last Updated: May 12, 2015
[Open]
Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

The piece is in 3/8 time, beginning with an anacrusis of repeated minor seconds, conveying an exploratory feel. While the original edition indicates Poco Moto at the beginning, the autograph sketch bore Molto grazioso.

It adopts a three-part A-B-A' structure. Section A consists of two contrasting sections: section 'a' in A minor, based on arpeggios (measures 1-8), and section 'b' in C major (measures 8-23). In section B, a bright melody in C major is played over broken chords (measures 23-38). Subsequently, musical idea 'a' returns in a troubled manner, leading into A'.

In A', the bass plays repeated notes, and an unstable section 'd' (measures 60-82) is introduced, shifting towards borrowed chords in E minor and A minor. After an improvisatory fioritura (measures 78-82), section 'a' reappears one last time (measures 82-104), bringing the piece to a close. Within its 104 measures, the work condenses a variety of contrasting moods.

Writer: Nakaduka, Yurina

Arrangements & Related Works(11)

Matsumoto, Asuka： *in preparation*

Total Performance Time: 2 min 30 sec 

Bastien Family： Basics Piano level 3 Fur Elise

Total Performance Time: 1 min 10 sec 

Bastien Family： Piano For Adults Book 1 For Elise

Total Performance Time: 1 min 40 sec 

Tabuchi, Saeko： *in preparation*

Total Performance Time: 1 min 50 sec 

Akiya, Eriko ： エリーゼのために

Total Performance Time: 2 min 20 sec 

Matsumaru, Hiroko： Für Elise

Total Performance Time: 3 min 10 sec 

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