Essay Archive - Immortal Beloved
Immortal Beloved
"My angel, my all, my very self--Only a few words today and at that with pencil (with yours)…can our love endure except through sacrifices…"
These lines are from the "Immortal Beloved" letter, a document found among Beethoven's papers after his death. Throughout his life, Beethoven remained a bachelor. This letter is the only love letter he is known to have written. Its recipient is never named: Beethoven only calls her his "Immortal Beloved." Scholars' attempts to identify this woman sparked decades of controversy, and the mystery surrounding the letter has never b....
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