Fur Elise is a short, lyrical piece for solo piano by Ludwig van Beethoven, formally catalogued as Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor, WoO 59. It is built as a rondo, with a gentle, rocking main theme that keeps returning between two contrasting episodes, one lyrical and one more agitated. Beethoven's original manuscript is lost, and the piece survives through a posthumous publication, so who Elise was has never been settled. Candidates proposed over the years include Therese Malfatti, a woman Beethoven is known to have admired, and the singer Elisabeth Rockel. The theme is one of the best-known melodies in Western music and a staple of piano lessons around the world.
Before and after
- 16 August 1809Founding of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
- from 1 October 1809 to 5 December 1917Grand Duchy of Finland
- 14 October 1809Treaty of Schönbrunn
- 29 December 1809Birth of William Ewart Gladstone
- c. 1810Composition of Für Elise
- 1810Discovery of fluorine
- 1810Kamehameha unites the Hawaiian Islands
- from 5 February 1810 to 24 August 1812Siege of Cádiz
- from 15 February 1810 to 31 August 1810Invasion of the Spice Islands
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- 1890Rise of Art Nouveau
- c. 1900sRise of Expressionism
- 1907Rise of cubism
- c. 1910sRise of Dada
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.