Adventures with Beethoven

Scene Three

Therese Malfatti and Elisabeth (Elise) Röckel

Therese Malfatti

While Josephine Brunsvik was in the midst of her disastrous second marriage, Beethoven’s attention turned to another woman, Therese Malfatti, the daughter of a wealthy Viennese merchant whom Beethoven met through his friend Ignaz von Gleichenstein, who ended up marrying Therese’s younger sister, Anna. Beethoven gave Therese piano lessons and spent much of 1810 courting Malfatti and considered proposing to her. He wrote a letter to her in the spring of that year which stated, “...I wish you all the good and beautiful things of this life. Bear me in memory -- no one can wish you a brighter, happier life that I -- even should it be that you care not at all for your devoted servant and friend, Beethoven.” 

Some scholars believe that Malfatti was actually the inspiration for Für Elise since a copy of the piece was found among her papers. Malfatti went on to marry Baron Johann Wilhelm von Droßdik. Later in life, she told friends and acquaintances she had been a student of Beethoven and played his sonatas well. She also had been friends with Franz Schubert, inviting him to one of the many balls during Carnival season in 1828. 

Elisabeth (Elise) Röckel 

Beethoven had met another interesting young woman during this time as well. Elisabeth Röckel and her brother were both singers working at the Theater an der Wien. Her brother, Joseph August, appeared as Florestan in Fidelio and became close friends with Beethoven. Elisabeth soon became friends with Beethoven as well. She sang in several opera productions in Vienna, including Mozart’s Don Giovanni, performed in Prague, and became a well-known opera singer. In 1813 when Elisabeth married the composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Antonio Salieri served as best man. 

There does not appear to be much substance to Elisabeth’s relationship with Beethoven other than an infatuation on Beethoven’s part. He apparently thought about proposing, but when Elisabeth took a job out of town, their relationship stalled. On his death bed, Beethoven sent one of his students and his secretary to ask her to visit. She did twice that week. Beethoven gave her a lock of his hair and the last quill he used, which Elisabeth kept as treasured possessions until the end of her life. Although there was speculation that either Therese Brunsvik or Therese Malfatti could have been the inspiration for Für Elise, most scholars now believe the piece was written for Elisabeth Röckel, who was known to Beethoven and their circle of friends as “Elise.”