Who was Elise? The story behind Für Elise

Nobody knows for sure who Elise was. Beethoven wrote the piece in 1810 and never published it. It was first printed in 1867, 40 years after he died, and the page he wrote it on has been lost. Scholars have put forward three women. This guide tells the story and shows you what to listen for.

Quick facts

• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Written: 1810, when he was 39
• First printed: 1867
• For: piano
• Length: about three minutes
• Full name: Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor

A bagatelle is a short, light piece. The word means “a trifle.”

How the piece was found

A music scholar named Ludwig Nohl found the handwritten page in Munich in the 1860s. He copied the music and printed it in 1867. He reported that Beethoven had written at the top: “For Elise, on April 27, as a remembrance.”

After that, the page went missing. No one has seen it since. Everything we know about the title comes from Nohl’s copy.

Three women who may be Elise

Therese Malfatti. She was a piano student of Beethoven’s, and he hoped to marry her in 1810. She said no. The handwritten page was among her things when she died. One theory says that Nohl misread Beethoven’s messy writing, and that the title was “For Therese.”

Elisabeth Röckel. She was a singer and a friend of Beethoven’s. Some records of the time give her name as Elise.

Elise Barensfeld. She was a young singer of 13 who lived near Therese Malfatti. One theory says that she was Therese’s student, and that Beethoven wrote the piece for Therese to teach to her.

Each theory has gaps. Without the lost page, no one can settle it.

What to listen for

Für Elise is a rondo. That means one main tune keeps coming back, with new music in between. The pattern is A, B, A, C, A.

The main tune (A). The right hand rocks between two notes that sit side by side. Then both hands pass rolling notes up and down the keyboard. It is quiet and a little sad.

The first new part (B). The mood brightens. The music moves to a major key, and quick notes run up high.

The main tune again.

The second new part (C). The left hand drums one low note again and again. The mood turns stormy. A long run of fast notes sweeps up and tumbles back down.

The main tune, one last time. It ends soft and low.

Why it is so well known

Für Elise is one of the pieces that piano students most want to learn. The opening is within reach after a few years of lessons. Read Für Elise for beginners. The two middle parts are harder.

The tune has also traveled far from the piano. It plays in music boxes and on telephones. In Taiwan, garbage trucks play it to tell people to bring out their bins.

Things to do together

Count the returns. Play the piece. Raise a hand each time the main tune comes back.

Rock two notes. On a piano, find an E in the upper half of the keyboard and the black key just to its left. Rock between them: E, black key, E, black key, E. That is how the piece begins.

Name the moods. Give each part a color. Draw the piece as a row of five colored boxes: A, B, A, C, A.

Be the detective. Read the three theories aloud. Vote on who Elise was. Ask each person to give a reason.

Write your own. Make up a short tune and write “For” and a friend’s name at the top.

Print and play

Draw what you hear on a listening journal page. Read Beethoven for kids for his life story. For another famous Beethoven piano piece, read the Moonlight Sonata for kids.

For more pieces, see classical music listening guides for kids.