Many people play "Für Elise" but how many play it the way Beethoven wrote it? Here, Grammy-nominated pianist Duane Hulbert gives 6 tips on how to perform this masterpiece beautifully.
Performance of the piece starts at 6:41
"Für Elise"is extremely popular for a reason: It's relatively simple to play with a charm & musical flow that draws you into Beethoven's genius. Beethoven wrote it in 1810 but it was never published in his lifetime. It was discovered in 1851 and published in 1867. (He died in 1827.)
Who was the "Elise" in the title? Many scholars think Beethoven wrote it for Therese Malfatti, his 18-year-old piano student. (Forty-year-old Beethoven proposed to her, but she turned him down.) The original autograph copy of Für Elise was found among Therese's papers. Story has it that Beethoven's handwriting was so bad that when he scribbled the dedication, "Therese" looked like "Elise." (He may have had too much to drink!)
What makes this piece beautiful? It's in A minor which gives it a melancholy sound. The opening theme in A minor repeats frequently. Beethoven adds two more themes (including one in F major and a stormy one, also in A minor) but always returns to the hauntingly beautiful first theme.
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Thanks for watching!
*NOTE: The object seen on the rug from the overhead shots is a PageFlip Firefly Bluetooth/USB Page Turner Pedal used later during the full performance to control the Ipad. It's great!
