Beethoven in Love

My father was in the army in the mid 1950’s, and he spent a long tour of duty in Korea. I have been going through hundreds of love letters that he sent my mom from that time apart. They are packed with loneliness, pain, sorrow, sweet remembrances and romance. These letters were never meant to be read by others, yet I’ve been doing just that. Through this process I’ve gotten to understand and deeply know my parents. And you can imagine what this has brought to mind for the Tone Poet: Beethoven’s letter to his “Immortal Beloved.”

This might just be one of the most famous love letters in history! It was never sent and was discovered after Beethoven’s death. It is now preserved in the Beethoven House Museum in Bonn. Here is a translation.

My angel, my all, my own self —
only a few words today, and those in pencil (with yours)…

Can our love persist except through sacrifice, though not demanding everything? Can you change the fact that you are not entirely mine, I not entirely yours? Oh, God, gaze at the beauties of Nature and prepare your mind for the inevitable. Love demands everything and rightly so, and thus it is for me with you, for you with me….

…While still in bed my thoughts rush to you, my Immortal Beloved, sometimes joyfully, other times sadly, waiting to see whether Fate will listen to us. I can only live with you either completely, or not at all. Yes, I have decided to wander far and wide until I can fly into your arms and call myself entirely at home with you, and send my soul enveloped by yours into the realm of spirits — yes, regrettably it must be so. You will recover more easily as you know I am faithful to you; never can another own my heart, never — never! O God, why must one leave somebody one loves so much?….

…Be calm — only through calm consideration of our existence can we achieve our goal of living together — be patient — love me — today — yesterday. You — my love — my all — farewell — oh go on loving me – never doubt the most faithful heart of your beloved

L

Ever thine.
Ever mine.
Ever us.

Who is this mysterious “Immortal Beloved? Scholars still debate. We will write more on this, and the women Beethoven loved in future posts. Let’s just revel in the passion and beauty of love that is such a human experience.

Music for an autumn romance is required, and nothing fits the bill better than Beethoven’s Violin Sonata no. 10 in G Major. This gorgeous piece was written in 1812, which of course, is the same year the letter to the Immortal Beloved was written. It is fun to imagine Beethoven putting down his music for a few moments to dash off a page or two to his beloved. And even more dramatic is to imagine her listening to this beautiful music, knowing that she held the heart of the composer and lived in his mind’s eye . Sigh…. I especially swoon over the second of the four movements. Close your eyes for these six minutes and take in the beauty of this recording.

Here is a beautiful interpretation of the complete Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 10, performed by the fabulous Anne-Sophie Mutter. She plays with force and feeling on her Stradivarius violin, a truly accomplished wonder woman.

There are so many famous love letters, but like Beethoven’s, not all lead to a happy ending. Here is one, written by arguably the greatest poet in the English Language, William Shakespeare, in his iconic play, Hamlet. This letter is from the tragic Prince Hamlet to the woman he loved and destroyed, Ophelia.

To the celestial, and my soul’s idol, the
most beautified Ophelia……

Doubt thou the stars are fire,
Doubt that the sun doth move,
Doubt truth to be a liar,
But never doubt I love.
O dear Ophelia, I am ill at these numbers. I have not
art to reckon my groans, but that I love thee best, O
most best, believe it. Adieu.
Thine evermore, most dear lady, whilst
this machine is to him, Hamlet.

I love the line ”whilst this machine is to him.” Shakespeare too was a man of the enlightenment, albeit a much earlier phase than Beethoven. It turns out that at that time the body was imagined and described as an amazing machine with so many parts and systems. Think of Leonardo DaVinci’s Vitruvian Man.

And these are some amazing love letters.

So to all my dear readers, let’s get out and enjoy some beautiful fall weather, and don’t forget to tell someone you love them. Until next time we meet, enjoy music, dive into poetry, and thanks for visiting thetonepoet.com.