Beethoven in America

Immortal Beloved

• Beethoven Love letter

• Referred to as “Unsterbliche Geliebte”– “eternally beloved”– Has been translated as “Immortal Beloved”

• Most passionate letter Beethoven wrote

Problems with letter

• No name for recipient

• No year given

• No place given

Internal evidence

• Reference to places by letter

• Reference to weather

• Someone he has seen and will see soon

• Reference to post dates

Scholars have proposed many candidates

Recent thought

• Maynard Solomon has proposed Antonie Brentano• Not everyone agrees• The search goes on

Sonata Op. 13, Pathetique

• Most emotional of his early sonatas• Standard 3-movement sonata plan

– Fast – slow – fast

• Form clear– i – sonata form with introduction– ii – rondo– iii – rondo

• Importance of sonata is not in form but in emotional power

Immortal Beloved – the film

• Based on the letter• Search for the person• Principal characters

– Anton Schindler– Giulietta Guicciardi– Theresa von Brunswick– Josephine von Brunswick– Karl von Beethoven– Joanna von Beethoven