Elise Barensfeld, born Juliane Katharine Elisabet Barensfeld (27 August 1796 – after 1820), was a German soprano. She toured from age 12 with
Johann Nepomuk Mälzel
A metronome by Maelzel, Paris, 1815.
Johann Nepomuk Maelzel (or Mälzel; August 15, 1772 – July 21, 1838) was a German inventor, engineer, and showman, best known for manufacturing a metronome and several music-playing automatons, and displayi ...
, a friend of
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
, and lived in Mälzel's household in Vienna until age 17. In 2012,
Rita Steblin
Rita Katherine Steblin (April 22, 1951 – September 3, 2019) obituary, ''Figures of Speech'' was a
Für Elise
Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor ( WoO59, Bia515) for solo piano, commonly known as "Für Elise" (, ), is one of Ludwig van Beethoven's most popular compositions. It was not published during his lifetime, only being discovered (by Ludwig Nohl) 40 ye ...
'' to her.
Career
Born Juliane Katharine Elisabet Barensfeld in Regensburg,
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
, and often called ''Elise'', she was known as a child prodigy. She received first voice lessons in her home town from Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel (1750–1817), who dedicated two songs to her, published in his 12th song collection. The texts were written by Benedikt Josef M. von Koller: "Mädchen mit der Silberstimme" (Girl with the silvery voice) and "Schön ist einer Rose jugendliche Knospe" (Beautiful is a rose's youthful bud).Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung vom März 1809, p. 366 She toured at age 12 with Regensburg mechanic
Johann Nepomuk Mälzel
A metronome by Maelzel, Paris, 1815.
Johann Nepomuk Maelzel (or Mälzel; August 15, 1772 – July 21, 1838) was a German inventor, engineer, and showman, best known for manufacturing a metronome and several music-playing automatons, and displayi ...
, who invented the
metronome
A metronome, from ancient Greek μέτρον (''métron'', "measure") and νομός (nomós, "custom", "melody") is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a regular interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats pe ...
and was a friend of
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
. She continued her voice studies from 1809 in Vienna with
Antonio Salieri
Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian classical composer, conductor, and teacher. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subject of the Habsburg monarchy ...
. She lived in the Mälzel household until she left Vienna at age 17 in 1813. She performed as a soloist in a concert in 1812 which is regarded as the foundation of the
Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde
The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien (), also known as the Wiener Musikverein (German for 'Viennese Music Association'), is an Austrian music organization that was founded in 1812 by Joseph Sonnleithner, general secretary of the Court Thea ...
. She was later a
Kammersänger
Kammersänger (male) or Kammersängerin (female), abbreviated Ks. or KS, is a German honorific title for distinguished singers of opera and classical music. It literally means "chamber singer". Historically, the title was bestowed by princes or ...
in of the Großherzogin of Baden. There are no traces of her after 1820.
The musicologist
Rita Steblin
Rita Katherine Steblin (April 22, 1951 – September 3, 2019) obituary, ''Figures of Speech'' was a
Für Elise
Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor ( WoO59, Bia515) for solo piano, commonly known as "Für Elise" (, ), is one of Ludwig van Beethoven's most popular compositions. It was not published during his lifetime, only being discovered (by Ludwig Nohl) 40 ye ...
'' to Barensfeld. The dedication read "Für Elise am 27. April zur Erinnerung von L. v. Bthvn." ("For Elise on 27 April as a remembrance, from Ludwig van Beethoven."). The later owner of the manuscript, Therese Malfatti, was connected to her, living across the street from Mälzel. Steblin thinks that Malfatti could have taught piano to Barensfeld when she was age 13. However, there is no evidence that she belonged to Beethoven's circle.
Literature
*
Rita Steblin
Rita Katherine Steblin (April 22, 1951 – September 3, 2019) obituary, ''Figures of Speech'' was a