Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the greatest composers in history, composed this small work, around 1809 or 1810, supposedly in honor of a lady he proposed to, named Therese Malfatti, niece of Dr. Giovanni Malfatti, an Italian doctor who settled in Vienna in 1795.
Dr. Giovanni used to assist the composer, treating him during his final illness in 1827. Beethoven also composed a small cantata for piano and choir (sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses) for his doctor in 1814, which is known as “Un lieto brindisi” , also called “Cantata Campestre”.
The original autographed score of Für Elise was presented by the composer to Therese in 1810. Over time, the original score was lost, but it is also known that in 1822, Beethoven corrected his preliminary draft, kept in his archives, for possible publication, which, due to his death, did not take place.
Either due to an editor’s error or to not knowing to whom this piece was directed and offered, the copy of the autographed score or its posthumous publication (first published in 1867) had the name or the German pseudonym “Für Elise,” which in English means for Elise.
In 2010, the German musicologist Klaus Martin Kopitz published a book with the hypothesis that Beethoven composed the piece for his singer friend Elisabeth Röckel, called “Elise” in Vienna, who married composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel in 1813.
The piano solo bagatelle “Für Elise” is one of Beethoven’s most famous works worldwide, along with his Fifth Symphony melody, in C minor (1807-1808, op. 67), and also his Ninth Symphony, in D minor (1823-1824, op. 125).”
Arrangements for other instruments
As the song was composed for piano, it is not so common to find arrangements for popular instruments such as Acoustic Guitar or even for solo instruments like violin. In this post, I would like to present three arrangements for this awesome song.
Solo Violin & Guitar
The first arrangement is for solo violin with acoustic guitar accompaniment. In this arrangement, the violin plays the melody while the acoustic guitar plays the chords. It’s a nice arrangement to be played at lounges, small or even big shows, weddings, etc. The acoustic guitar with the violin makes it sound more intimist.
Solo Guitar Score, Chords and Tablature
The next arrangement was written for the Acoustic Guitar solo. In this case, the video shows the score and tablature for the guitar. The artists can perform this arrangement soloing with one guitar and using a second one for the accompaniment. Even a piano can play harmony, which is much easier than playing both melody and harmony. This arrangement is perfect for guitar classes, shows, or to play just for fun.
Solo Mandolin and Acoustic Guitar
The last arrangement is less common and maybe it is difficult to find scores for it. The mandolin is an 8-string instrument used in some cultures such as Brazilian chorinho or Italian folk music. The following video shows the mandolin score with tablature.
This arrangement is also very intimist and brings a new alternative for mandolinists. Have fun watching the videos and playing along.
