Für Elise Analysis

The piece of music that I’ve selected to write about is a solo piano composition named Für Elise that was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. Für Elise literally translates to “For Elise”, a title that has raised many questions and few answers. The main reason that I’ve chosen this piece of music to write about is because it is a piece that is very well known, even to people who are not involved in music, and “is a common catalyst and inspiration that causes many people to become interested in the piano.” Für Elise is a revolutionary piece of music, and to support this claim we must first examine the fundamental elements in the piece as well as the emotion and visualization that makes this piece so impacting.
There are several elements that make up a piece of music, some of the most fundamental being melody, rhythm, harmony, timbre, texture, and form. How do these different elements contribute to Für Elise? When we first listen to the song, the first thing we recognize is the famous melody. The melody is the tune of the music. Because of the melody, so many people recognize Für Elise without even knowing the name of the piece. The melody at the beginning of the piece is disjunct, or not successive, and makes small leaps between notes. Besides the …show more content…
In my personal example, I believe that the song enhances my visual representation of a ballet by giving the dance moves a beat to follow. As beautiful as ballerinas dance, it is the music that accompanies their movement that allows for us to react emotionally and put meaning to the dance. I feel that this is because music has such a huge impact on our brains. Music has the ability to release endorphins, lower blood pressure, and ease physical pain, something that ballet would never be able to accomplish on its