Ludwig van Beethoven appeared to be as unsuccessful in love as he was successful in music.
When the celebrated composer died on March 26, 1827, he left no widow to mourn him—just an adoring public who lined the streets to catch a glimpse of his funeral procession.
But when Beethoven’s secretary Anton Schindler went through his late employer’s desk, he made a discovery that kickstarted one of music history’s most romantic mysteries.
Inside the desk was a yearning, passionate, and lyrical love letter that Beethoven seemed to have never sent. Beethoven did not name his intended recipient. Instead, he referred to her as his “Immortal Beloved.” “I can live only wholly with you or not at all,” he wrote, “yes, I am resolved to wander so long away from you until I can fly to your arms and say that I am really at home, send my soul enwrapped in you into the land of spirits.”
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It clearly wasn’t a love letter penned to someone he admired from afar. “The entire text of Beethoven’s letter suggests that his love was reciprocated,” says Julia Ronge, curator of the collections at Beethoven-Haus Bonn. Despite this, their romance ultimately ended since Beethoven never married.
Who was Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved”? That phrase has since captured the imagination of scholars, filmmakers, writers, and fans alike, who have pieced together clues from the letter and Beethoven’s life to put forward potential candidates.
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