Elise – the mystery woman in Beethoven’s life, is still an unsolved mystery. "Wie unglüklich bei so grossen Geistesgaben. released april 24, 1996 ℗ 1982, 1987, 1988, 1996 sony bmg music entertainment (p) 1984 sony music entertainment (japan) inc., (p) 1994 sony classical, a division of sony entertainment holdings gmbh (Antonie to Clemens, 26 January 1811, in Goldschmidt 1980, p. 524), "Den 2tn März, 1812 mir vom Author erbethen.". (Meredith 2011, p. x), Beahrs (1993, p. 183 f.) supported Josephine: "Was there for him in fact … one deep and lasting passion for a certain dear one, marriage to whom was precluded, not by psychological inhibitions of the inner man, but by prohibitive heart-breaking externals? There was four years later also a claim by a Japanese author (Aoki 1959, 1968) who had "discovered" Antonie. It’s one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in musical history. 296. (Beethoven's "Immortal Beloved": the Riddle Solved.). (Josephine Countess Brunsvik-Deym's Secret Revealed: New Results about her Relationship to Beethoven. Sie waren für einander geboren[,] und lebten beide noch, hätten sie sich vereint." ), Learn how and when to remove this template message, Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Immortal_Beloved&oldid=997474477, Articles needing additional references from November 2019, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. 'Ever thine. The entire letter is written on 10 small pages, in Beethoven's rather inconsistent handwriting. Tellenbach, Marie-Elisabeth (1987): "Beethoven and the Countess Josephine Brunswick. [The Meaning of the Eagle Allegory in Beethoven's Letter to Therese Countess Brunsvik. But arguments against Erdödy rest on geography. Ever ours.” So Beethoven closed a July 1812 letter to his “immortal beloved,” a woman whose identity has remained one of the great mysteries of classical music. Immortal Beloved is a biographical account of Ludwig van Beethoven's (Gary Oldman) life and loves, in the form of a fictionalized treatment of an enigmatic letter to … ", Beahrs, Virginia Oakley (1988): "The Immortal Beloved Riddle Reconsidered.". "Ich Glückliche hatte Beethovens intimen, geistigen Umgang so viele Jahre! Her involvement and conviction in a subsequent embezzlement scheme—at almost the same time as the “Beloved” letter was written—almost certainly heightened Beethoven’s dislike. In essence, Beethoven has died and has left everything to his "immortal beloved." Als den linkischen Verfasser … von einem wirklichen Dilettanten, dem Kaffeehaus-Literaten Joseph Ludwig Stoll." "The flaw in this [Solomon's] methodology [in Support of Antonie] was that he established requirements that he knew only his candidate could meet. Two of three letters by Beethoven to Bettina (and published by her) are generally considered forgeries (like similar letters by Goethe she published), although Walden devotes an entire Chapter setting out evidence in support of the letter's authenticity. Beethoven dedicated a new work to Brentano later that year, “An die Geliebte,” which can be translated as “To the Beloved.” The original score contains an inscription, believed to be in Brentano’s writing, in which she had asked Beethoven to compose it for her. There was no address on the letter, and no envelope was found (thus suggesting it was probably never sent). (Goldschmidt 1980, p. 165 f.), "Um die Antonia–Hypothese möglicherweise mit den ihr sachlich innewaltenden Widersprüchen endgültig zu verifizieren, bedarf es der Falsifizierung anderer sich anbietender Hypothesen." He developed a series of romantic attachments, which may have remained unrequited and unconsummated. [Psychoanalysis and Historiocritical Method. [Ich müßte heilige Bande verletzen, gäbe ich Ihrem Verlangen Gehör – Glauben Sie – daß ich, durch Erfüllung meiner Pflichten, am meisten leide – und daß gewiß, edle Beweggründe meine Handlungen leiteten.] Steblin, Rita (2009): "'A dear, enchanting girl who loves me and whom I love': New Facts about Beethoven's Beloved Piano Pupil Julie Guicciardi". Beethoven was briefly infatuated with her in 1801-2 (when she was his piano pupil, and dedicated his renowned "Moonlight" Sonata [in C-sharp minor, Op. Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien – both together they would have been happy (perhaps). Thomas-San-Galli (1909, 1910) checked out the official listings of guests in Bohemia, and at first (in 1909) concluded that Amalie Sebald was the "Immortal Beloved". Amalie was a singer, notably at Berlin. (Goldschmidt 1980, p. 1088–1092). "[60] Meredith (2011, p. xxii), in his Introduction, has reviewed the debate over the major candidates and he believes that "Walden's proposal merits unbiased consideration". ... Dilettante verses ... by a clumsy author, a real dilettante, a coffeehouse poet. (Jean and Brigitte Massin 1955, p. Excerpt from the 9th symphony by the L.V. Viele Beethoven-Forscher wollten dies aber nicht glauben und gaben in Tages- und Fachzeitschriften ihrer Überzeugung Ausdruck, daß es sich zweifellos um ein wertvolles echtes Stück handelt.] There is one, however, and only one, to whom Beethoven did pour his heart out in impassioned declarations of undying love remarkably similar to the phraseology of the anguished letter to his Immortal Beloved… That one is his 'BELOVED AND ONLY J' – Josephine. Who was the woman who so besotted Ludwig van Beethoven that he was compelled to pen an infamously passionate and fervid love letter that has stood the test of time? [46] His hypothesis was founded on two major assumptions (or prerequisites): ad 1: Antonie arrived in Prague on 3 July 1812 after an arduous journey with husband, child and servant (and was registered there); she left at dawn the following morning: "Where did she have time that night for a tryst with Beethoven?" Maternal affection made her forgo her own happiness. It is like a dream, that he was the friend, the confidant of our house – a beautiful mind! Beethoven and Antonie, since her return to Vienna, were "on friendly terms", In the summer of 1812 he lived in the same hotel in Franzensbad as the Brentanos, and. 1. Many historians believe the letter was never actually sent, while others believe Beethoven may have sent a copy of the letter, while holding on to the original. This was then also in response to the biography by Schindler (1840), refuting his hypothesis that Julie Guicciardi was the "immortal Beloved". 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