A very familiar piano piece familiarly known as “Für Elise” and sometimes described as Bagatelle in A minor WoO 59 although it is actually in rondo form. This is one of Beethoven’s most popular pieces, in the key of A minor in 3/8 time The realisation plays back at 54 dotted quarter note (crotchet) beats to the minute. This is a shortened version including just the first section of the work. The sustaining pedal should be used sparingly. The realisation lacks flexibility and the “give and take” needed in a convincing performance. Interestingly it is a piece that was not published until 40 years after the composer’s death. As a familiar piece with some sections invitingly straightforward to play it is a piece that is frequently played badly! Counting the beats to the bar particularly in the tricky octave sections is essential if the timing is to be accurate. Beethoven is a composer who expanded the musical forms of the classical period. He also links the classical age with the subsequent romantic age. As a composer he was especially interested in process.
