Friends!
Love. Love is woven through the fabric of human existence. It is so profound and transformative force that love emerges as a cornerstone of the human experience. There are many kinds of love, in fact the Greeks distinguished at least seven different kinds, using separate words for each of them.
In this newsletter we focus on the one(s) that describe the love between man and woman (eros, ludus, pragma). Beethoven was a passionate man, his music testifies to this statement. He was in love often, but none of these came to fruition. Mostly the strict social rules was the reason behind, as ladies from aristocracy (the ones he met on daily basis) would not marry a commoner. There was everything to lose for them, and marriages were more practical than nowadays.
Among the many attempts, there was someone very special, probably the One for Beethoven, to whom he composed his famous letter, the Immortal Beloved. Today, we have the letter, we understand he was madly in love, yet the identity of this extraordinary woman remains uncertain.
We recommend you to read all related articles as we discover the letter itself and the three most likely candidates for the role of the Immortal Beloved!
Happy reading!
Beethoven’s Immortal Beloved
Written at the age of 41, Beethoven’s famous love letter reads as a breathless expression of despair and hope, of love and devotion for an unnamed woman, his Immortal Beloved, whose identity has sparked two centuries of curiosity, research and debate. Here, we will take a look at the women who may have been the focus of his undying love. Read more…
A short biography: Josephine Brunsvik
Josephine’s tale is a tragic, yet familiar story of love and marriage in an era of strict social constraints, often with devastating consequences. Read more….
A short biography: Antonie Brentano
The aristocratic women close to Beethoven were all remarkable in their own unique ways. Antonie Brentano, one of the suggested recipients of the mysterious Immortal Beloved letter, dedicated much of her time to philanthropy, setting up charities and working with the poor in Frankfurt. Read more…
A short biography: Bettina Brentano
‘My soul is a passionate dancer; she dances to hidden music which only I can hear… Whatever police the world may prescribe to rule the soul, I refuse to obey them.’ Read more…