The American musicologist Maynard Solomon’s biography of Beethoven brought the Antonie Brentano theory much credence. Beethoven tried to help her by playing to her for hours at a time. Antonie’s grief had overwhelmed her and turned into what seems to have been a chronic depression. While there, in 1810, they became acquainted with Beethoven Franz swiftly became his friend and patron. The family came back to Vienna to care for her father in his last illness and after that to sort out his estate, which centred on a fine art collection. Antonie Brentano, née BirkenstockĪntonie Brentano, née Birkenstock, Viennese by birth, had married Franz Brentano, a businessman from Frankfurt, and had five children. From that flowed several possibilities of Beethoven’s Immortal Beloved. Through matching days of the week with the date, possible years were narrowed down to a shortlist and watermark identification finally settled upon 1812. Something else vital was missing from the letter: a date. So well did Beethoven protect the identity of his Immortal Beloved that musicologists spent around 200 years trying to find out who she was. You - my love - my all - farewell - oh go on loving me – never doubt the most faithful heart of your beloved …Be calm - only through calm consideration of our existence can we achieve our goal of living together - be patient - love me - today - yesterday. 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? … 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. I can only live with you either completely, or not at all. …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. Love demands everything and rightly so, and thus it is for me with you, for you with me … Only a few words today, and those in pencil (with yours) …Ĭan our love persist except through sacrifice, through 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.

Beethoven bank