Für Elise, also known as Bagatelle No 25 in A minor (WoO 59 and Bia 515) for solo piano, is one of Ludwig van Beethoven‘s most popular compositions. It was not published during his lifetime, only being discovered (by Ludwig Nohl) forty years after his death, and may be termed either a Bagatelle or an Albumblatt. The unaccompanied oscillation between the dominant E and its chromatic lower neighbor D-sharp that begins the melody has become one of the most recognizable openings in classical music. The identity of “Elise” is unknown; researchers have suggested Therese Malfatti, Elisabeth Röckel or Elise Barensfeld.
Für Elise Best Performances on YouTube
Although ‘best’ can only be subjective, the five selected performances feature renowned classical pianists whose interpretations, transcended by the wealth of nuances and colors of a grand piano, truly reveal the beauty of Für Elise.
Lang Lang (Video Clip)
There are several YouTube videos of Lang Lang performing Für Elise. You can also hear the Chinese pianist play Beethoven’s Appassionata Sonata and the Fifth Piano Concerto, the Emperor.
The video below is a video clip; there is another version played by Lang Lang a little further down this page, where the video scrolls through the sheet music.
Ivo Pogorelich
Born in Belgrade in 1958, to a Croatian father and a Serbian mother, Ivo Pogorelich became a Croatian citizen after the breakup of Yugoslavia. In 1980 he entered the 10th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw but was eliminated in the third round, prompting juror Martha Argerich to resign from the jury in protest, calling Pogorelich a “genius”. Pogorelich gave his debut recital at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1981. You can watch him play Beethoven’s Sonatas No. 27 in E minor and No. 32 in C minor on YouTube.
Alfred Brendel
Alfred Brendel (5 January 1931 – 17 June 2025) was a Czech-born Austrian classical pianist, poet, author, composer and lecturer, based in London. He was the first pianist to record Beethoven’s complete works for solo piano. There are many recordings of him playing Für Elise on YouTube. You can also watch him play Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto, the Emperor and his last three piano sonatas.
Wilhelm Kempff
Wilhelm Kempff (25 November 1895 – 23 May 1991) was a German pianist, teacher and composer, particularly well known for his interpretations of the music of Ludwig van Beethoven, recording the complete sonatas. There are several YouTube videos of him performing Für Elise, but you can also watch and listen to him playing Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto or the Sonata No. 14, the Moonlight.
Alice Sara Ott
Alice Sara Ott was born in Munich, Germany, in 1988. Her Japanese mother had studied piano in Tokyo, and she started piano lessons at the age of four. You can watch and listen to her play Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto on YouTube.
Für Elise Sheet Music
Video with Sheet Music (Lang Lang)
Listen to the music of Für Elise while following the sheet music scrolling on your screen.
Free Für Elise Sheet Music Download
What Level of Piano Skill Is Needed to Play Für Elise?
That depends on whether you want to play the entire piece or only the part that everyone knows and wants to play.
The complete piece follows a five-part ABACA rondo structure.
A is the refrain, the notes that made Für Elise the most famous piano piece in the world. And here’s the good news: A is also the easiest part to play!
In fact, many people know only this section A and are not even aware that there are B and C sections, which are much more challenging.
Is Für Elise for Beginners?
Playing the first section with ease usually requires about one year of piano practice, depending on the student’s natural ability and the amount of daily practice.
To perform the entire work, you generally need to add another year: section B contains thirty-second notes that must be played twice as fast as the sixteenth notes in section A, which requires greater velocity. Section C includes three arpeggios on the A minor chord, demanding mastery of thumb crossing as well as controlled arm and hand movement.
Recommended Tempo
The 3/8 time signature at the beginning of the staff indicates that Für Elise is written in three beats, each beat corresponding to an eighth note.
The recommended metronome marking is between 90 and 110 to the eighth note. (3/8, ♪ = 90–110)
There are many apps that can turn your smartphone into a metronome, or you can also use an online metronome, for example:
Für Elise Piano Tutorial
There are many tutorials on YouTube for learning to play Für Elise. Many of them, made by amateur pianists, are full of mistakes: notes held longer than they should be, missing rests, improbable fingerings, rhythm errors, constantly fluctuating tempo, left-hand accompaniment as loud as—or even louder than—the melody in the right hand, unnecessary arm or hand movements, excessive use of the right pedal that sometimes blurs the chords between A minor (tonic) and E major (dominant)…
You can have a look at the tutorial by Antune. And also this one by the pianist Jean-Marc Luisada.
Fingering for the First Notes
The simplest and most obvious fingering for the first notes in the right hand is 5th finger on E, 4th on D-sharp, 2nd on B, 4th on D-natural, and 1st on A. This is the fingering chosen by Wilhelm Kempff (see the video above).
However, alternating between the 5th and 4th fingers — both “weak” fingers — can be challenging for beginners, who may prefer to use a different fingering for the first two notes, which is perfectly acceptable:
- 5th finger on E, 3rd on D-sharp, then 2nd on B, and afterwards you return to the “normal” fingering
- 4th finger on E, 3rd on D-sharp, then thumb on B, and afterwards you return to the previous fingering
- 3rd on E, 2nd on D-sharp, then thumb on B, 4th on D-natural, and afterwards you return to the previous fingering
- 3rd on E, 2nd on D-sharp, then thumb on B, 4th on D-natural, 3rd on C, and 2nd on A: less natural than using the thumb on A and requires a stretch between 3 and 2, but worth considering if you tend to unintentionally accent the A (otherwise, this fingering is not recommended for beginners)
Beethoven’s Fortepiano Was Different from Today’s
When Beethoven composed Für Elise in 1810, the piano used was not the modern piano we know today, but a fortepiano.
The fortepiano was the ancestor of the modern piano: it had a lighter, clearer sound, thinner strings, and a more limited dynamic range. Its mechanism was quite different and its hammers were often covered in leather, not felt, which contributed to a more percussive sound.
Für Elise played on a Fortepiano
Unlike the modern piano, its keys required less force to produce sound, and it had a more transparent and delicate timbre, with a much shorter sustain.
In comparison, modern pianos have thicker strings, a more powerful mechanism, and allow a louder volume, prolonged sustain, and a much wider dynamic range. These differences explain why some nuances and articulations of Beethoven sound different on a modern piano compared to the original fortepiano.
Why Für Elise is so Popular?
Für Elise is so popular because of its perfect combination of simplicity and emotion, which has captured the hearts of listeners for generations.
The melody is instantly recognizable, flowing gracefully with a delicate rhythm that conveys both playfulness and longing. Beethoven’s use of contrasting dynamics—soft, tender passages followed by stronger, more dramatic sections—creates a sense of tension and release that touches listeners deeply.
Its elegance lies in how a relatively simple piano piece can evoke such profound feeling, making it timeless and beloved by beginners and professional pianists alike.
Beyond the Piano: Für Elise on Various Music Instruments
Für Elise, originally composed for solo piano by Ludwig van Beethoven, has inspired numerous transcriptions for other instruments, allowing it to reach an even wider audience. Versions exist for violin, guitar, flute, string orchestra, and chamber ensembles.
Some transcriptions stay very close to the original score, while others offer creative adaptations, adding harmonies or redistributing the melody among different instruments. These arrangements give musicians from various backgrounds the opportunity to explore and interpret this iconic classical piece in new ways, while preserving the instantly recognizable charm of the main theme.
Guitar
To play Für Elise on the guitar, you can read sheet music or follow a tablature, which shows you exactly which strings and frets to pluck.
There isn’t one single way to interpret this piece on the guitar, which makes learning accessible at all levels. Simplified versions are specially designed for beginners, focusing on the basic melodies and essential chords like A minor (Am). Conversely, more complex arrangements are available for more experienced musicians, including advanced techniques and nuances.
You can easily find a multitude of resources to help you in your learning journey, particularly on websites specializing in guitar instruction. They break down the piece into different parts, making it easier to memorize and progressively practice the song.
Beethoven Meets Flamenco – 40 Fingers
Für Elise on One Guitar – Marcin
Cello
Lola & Hauser
Sarah Joy
Flute
Bevani Flute
Organ
Nicholas Hill Music
String Quartet
Danish String Quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble consisting of four instruments: two violins, one viola, and one cello. It is one of the most important and widely used formations in classical chamber music, allowing for a rich interplay of melodies, harmonies, and textures among the instruments.
Who was Elise ?
More than 200 years after Beethoven’s death, the true identity of Elise remains uncertain.
Three women are considered possible dedicatees of the most famous piano piece in the history of music: Therese Malfatti, Elisabeth Röckel, or Elise Barensfeld.
Therese Malfatti
Born in Vienna, Austria, on January 1, 1792, Therese Malfatti was an Austrian musician and a student of Beethoven. In 1810, the composer fell in love with her and wished to marry her, but his feelings were not reciprocated.
Beethoven wrote a piece for her, which he mentioned in a letter addressed to her. However, although Therese Malfatti owned the now-lost autograph of the bagatelle WoO 59 (“Für Elise on April 27 in memory of L. v. Bthvn”), it is not certain that this is the same work.
The German writer and musicologist Ludwig Nohl discovered it in 1865 at Babette Bredl’s in Munich. The autograph had reached her through Bredl’s illegitimate son, the pianist and composer Rudolph Schachner, who had been a close family friend of Therese Malfatti and had inherited her musical manuscripts.
Although Nohl explicitly noted that the piece was “not written for Therese,” in 1923, Max Unger, a 20th-century musicologist, proposed the hypothesis that Nohl had misread it — Beethoven’s handwriting was notoriously difficult to read — and that the dedication should read Für Therese.
Another explanation is that Elise was the nickname of Therese, a common practice at the time. Beethoven himself liked to give nicknames to his friends.
Elizabeth Röckel
Born in Neunburg vorm Wald, Bavaria, Elisabeth Röckel (15 March 1793 – 3 March 1883) was a German soprano opera singer. On 16 May 1813, she married the composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel.
In 1810, she lived in a flat in the Theater an der Wien. In another flat of the theater lived the famous singer Anna Milder-Hauptmann with her family, who played the title role in Fidelio. She became a close friend of Elisabeth. Many sources indicate that Elisabeth often met Beethoven, who fell in love with her and wished to marry her.
However, in April 1810 she accepted an engagement at the theater in Bamberg, where she made her stage debut as Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
The German musicologist Klaus Martin Kopitz has suggested that Beethoven wrote Für Elise around the time of Elisabeth Röckel’s departure from Vienna. Not only was she listed as “Elis Rökel” in the theater’s residents register, but Anna Milder-Hauptmann also referred to her as “Elise” in a letter.
Elise Barensfeld
A German soprano and child prodigy, she toured from the age of 12 with Mälzel, a friend of Beethoven, commonly credited as the inventor of the metronome ( although it was actually invented earlier by Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel).
She was connected to Therese Malfatti, who lived across the street from Mälzel. The musicologist Rita Steblin argued that Elise Barensfeld may have taken piano lessons with Malfatti, and that Beethoven, wanting to please Therese, with whom he was in love, may have composed the piece for his student.
Although she was the only one actually named Elise, Barensfeld is generally considered the least plausible of the three candidates.
Für Elise in Movies
Beethoven’s Bagatelle in A minor has appeared in numerous films of all genres, for example:
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (David Yates) – Grimmauld Place
- Elephant (Gus Van Sant) – Piano scene
- Django Unchained (Quentin Tarantino) – Played on harp
- Rosemary’s Baby (Roman Polanski) – Heard from a neighbor
- Morbius (Daniel Espinosa) – Trailer