When choosing a piece of music from the classical era the first piece of music that came to mind would be Fur Elise by Ludwig Van Beethoven. This piece is by far one of my favorite pieces of music along with the first song I learned to play on the piano myself. The documentation of Beethoven’s life begins with his baptismal, December 17th 1770. He was born in Bonn, Germany and then moved to Vienna in his early 20’s. Early into his career as a music composer, Beethoven began to loose his hearing yet he still managed and continued to compose, conduct and preform even after he was diagnosed as being completely deaf.
Für Elise which is German for “For Elise” was composed by Beethoven around 1810 in Vienna. He wrote this piece in his 40’s when he was already an established amazing composer. This piece was actually not published until 1865 which was after Beethoven’s death in 1827. It is unsure who the inspiration for Beethoven’s “Elise” since there was no documented accounts, letters or records of this person. This is part of the beauty and suspense behind the music it leaves you wondering who this person is and what did she do to leave such a big impression on him. Connecting this to the rise of the middle class can be simple in the fact this was the time period the middle class was starting to appreciate different aspects of classical music. It was the prime time when the middle class was starting to put their opinions out above the rest. The appreciative aspect of the arts was just starting to become popular.
I feel that if this piece of work was really publicly released when Beethoven was alive it might have gained more popularity. After he died, the piece was released it gave people a little better respect for the composer in his age and working condition. How hard must it have been for this man to compose, play and write music being unable to hear it himself.
This is by far one of my favorite pieces of music for so many reasons. It is so beautiful in its melody you can just sit and listen to it for hours. The harmony of the lead piano line and the background music flows together so nicely. After learning to play it on the piano I gained a whole different respect for the composer and people who master it beautifully.
You can listen to this amazing song straight from this link:
http://youtu.be/3KN3v7cJiDg or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KN3v7cJiDg
Sources:
Fur Elise (For Elise) Bagatelle in A minor WoO 59 (2006-2012) ForElise.com http://www.forelise.com/about
Ludwig Van Beethoven. (2012) Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven
Fur Elise. (2012) Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%BCr_Elise
skpeek 
You did a great job of explaining why you liked it and how it connected to the middle class. I really enjoyed reading your explanation and how you connected to the piece. I felt you did a nice job of explaining the history of Bach and the challenges that he must of overcome to write this particular piece. I also enjoyed listening to it. As to your references, I would just say that I am cautious about using wikipedia, for all of the classes that I have written papers for, my professors have either cautioned using it or have said that it is not an acceptable source of information.
I love your choice of Fur Elise because you learned to play it on the piano. The piano is one of my favorite instruments and I have always wanted to learn. I like the simple one note melody that introduces the work, and how the music gets deeper.
It’s so hard to imagine a talented composer such as Beethoven perform a piece of amazing music he cannot fully appreciate due to his impairment. I find so many of the classical pieces interesting because of the stories behind each work. He wrote for so many audiences and the songs are not only complex, they are unique and smooth to follow!
Great job citing the production of the work and the composer. I wasn’t aware before this blog that Fur Elise was published in 1865 – almost 40 years after Beethoven’s death in 1827- wow that is a long time for beautiful work to go unheard!
“Fur Elise” has always been one of my favorite pieces of Classical music. I had no idea that it was published until years after his death. I wonder why it wasn’t published before? or if it would have been as popular if it had been published earlier. Great job on the post.
Great choice! I love Fur Elise. I also learned it on the piano many years ago, a fun and recognizable piece.
Most of the factual information is included, composer, place, and time. However the title is not italicized. I enjoy this piece for many of the same reasons you mentioned. The background accompaniment to the melody flows in a really fun way. The bottom line for myself is the melody resonates with me and I like it.
This assignment has really brought awareness of Beethoven’s works together and I have found a new appreciation for him as a composer. It is truly amazing what he accomplished and he is still being appreciated today.
You connected Fur Elise to a middle class audience, stating that the middle class was becoming more interested in classical music. The aristocracy were also patrons of music during the classical era. I wonder how this particular piece is specifically connected to a middle class audience? I wonder to what extent the middle class patronized music at the time it was published, after Beethoven’s death? He obviously was not making money from patronage if he was deceased. Was type of piece is Fur Elise?
I enjoyed reading the background on the piece and the mysterious title with unknown meaning. I agree that this adds to the allure of the music.
Claims are substantiated with cited references, although I had to find my own link to listen, I was unable to get the provided link to work.
Well written and very informative post! Great job.
I love that you critiqued Beethoven he is definitely one of my favorites. Fur Elise is so popular i bet that Beethoven wherever he is, is just shocked at how much this then seemingly unimportant piece of music has touched the world, it is definitely a beautiful piece worth learning i cant say enough about his work just adore the man, i have a CD of his with only piano sonatas because the piano is my favorite instrument. You did a great job providing info on not only the composer but the song and a little bit of info about its origins. also connected it to the rising middle classes influencing these types of works in those times. awesome blog keep it up, next time try to just insert the video in your blog if you are not sure i can tell u how that way we can listen while we read your blog =)