Beethoven's Immortal Beloved: Solving the Mystery [Hardcover]

In 1812, Ludwig van Beethoven wrote three letters to an unnamed woman, whom he called Immortal Beloved. The letters were discovered after Beethoven's death and ever since their discovery, there has been speculation regarding whom that Immortal Beloved might have been. In Beethoven's Immortal Beloved: Solving the Mystery, Edward Walden carefully and meticulously presents his case that the woman who Beethoven loved was Bettina Brentano, an artistic and talented musician in her own right.

Setting the foundation for his argument, Walden begins the book with a general historical and sequential narrative that interweaves the lives of the three principle protagonists: Beethoven, the writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Bettina Brentano. Walden explores in detail the key elements of the factual narrative and shows how those elements support his claim that Bettina was the Immortal Beloved. In addition, Walden addresses the attacks other Beethoven scholars have made against Bettina and reveals how such attacks were mistaken or unjustified.

Thoroughly and rigorously researched, yet presented in a clear and engaging style, Beethoven's Immortal Beloved will appeal to Beethoven scholars, music lovers, and general readers alike, who will be captivated by the solving of this fascinating mystery.

Over the past twenty years, Walden has delved into the question of the identity of the Immortal Beloved. Finding flaws in theories about the main candidates, Antonie Brentano and Josephine Brunswick, he focused on Bettina Brentano. The Beethoven Journal

Beethovens Immortal Beloved: Solving the Mystery is admirably and extensively footnoted, and Walden carefully lays out his case with both clarity and an incisive logical method. Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Associalã)