Immortal Beloved: A Novella of Beethoven

By Jeanne Blanchet

Unique…Interactive…Electrifying! 

On July 7, 1812 in Teplitz, Austria, Ludwig van Beethoven penciled a ten-page letter to his “Immortal Beloved.” The missive, which was never mailed, was not discovered until after the famous composer’s death. Even today the intended recipient remains unknown and is the topic of heated debate among scholars and music historians. Just who was the mysterious addressee? 

In this unique, interactive novella, you, the reader, can take a magic carpet ride back through space and time to ask the master for yourself as he narrates the story of his fascinating, albeit harried, life. This entertaining, fast-paced story by award-winning author Jeanne Blanchet features a surprising ending and will enable readers to develop a deeper appreciation for the passion and struggles of Beethoven—one of the world’s most renowned geniuses. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Jun 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9781977266866

Book preview

Immortal Beloved

A Novella of Beethoven

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2023 Jeanne Blanchet

v2.0

This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Outskirts Press, Inc.

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Cover Photo © 2023 www.gettyimages.com. All rights reserved - used with permission.

Author Photo © 2023 Eugene Figy. All rights reserved - used with permission.

Outskirts Press and the OP logo are trademarks belonging to Outskirts Press, Inc.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Also by Jeanne Blanchet:

Darkheart: A Novel of Judas Iscariot (2022)

Dancer of Death: A Novel of Manolete (2021)

Expressions (2020)

Kamikaze: A Novel of Kublai Khan’s Attempted Invasions of Japan (2019)

Forge of Empire: A Novel of Genghis Khan (2019)

Cursed: A Novel of Bravery and Betrayal in Rome’s Final Century (2018)

Man at the Cross Road: The Gripping Tale of Christ’s Chief Executioner (2017)

Terminators: A Saga of Lethal Mind Manipulation over Space and Time (2016)

Old Salty (2014)

Herbie, the Hoodie (2013)

Potpourri (2013)

Fire and Ice (2012)

The Bug in the Rug (2012)

Wellspring (2011)

Kaleidoscope (2010)

Reflections (1995)

This book is lovingly dedicated to my late parents, Bill and Barbara Maxant, special friend Gene Figy, and classical music lovers the world over.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Author’s Notes

Prologue

Part 1: Bonn

Chapter 1: AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR

Chapter 2: FATHER

Chapter 3: SCHOOL

Chapter 4: DISTINGUISHED GUESTS

Chapter 5: THIS AND THAT

Chapter 6: THE CONCERT

Chapter 7: TONI

Chapter 8: STUDENTS

Chapter 9: HERR NEEFE

Chapter 10: BONN

Chapter 11: THE CONTEST

Chapter 12: MOZART

Chapter 13: MUTTI

Part 2: Vienna

Chapter 14: VIENNA

Chapter 15: VIENNA (2)

Chapter 16: CONDUCTING AND COMPOSING

Chapter 17: MEMORABLE AND NOT-SO-MEMORABLE CONCERTS

Chapter 18: THE DECEMBER 22, 1808 CONCERT

Chapter 19: JOSEPHINE

Chapter 20: KASPAR

Chapter 21: THERESE MALFATTI

Chapter 22: A FRIGHTFUL CURSE

Chapter 23: MAELZEL’S METRONOME, : FIDELIO, AND ELISE

Chapter 24: A NEW ORDER?

Chapter 25: JOY

Chapter 26: SALZBURG

Chapter 27: TWO PORTRAITS

Chapter 28: NEPHEW KARL

Chapter 29: PRESSURES, DARKNESS, : AND DESPAIR

Chapter 30: INTO THE ABYSS

Chapter 31: REVELATION

Epilogue

Appendices:

List of Main Characters

Beethoven’s Best-Loved Compositions

Brief Excerpts From Beethoven’s Letter To His Immortal Beloved

Basic German Pronunciation

Poem

Acknowledgements

About The Author

Endnotes

"Immortal Beloved is more than an entertaining read. Together with its suggested YouTube links to Beethoven’s most beloved compositions, it is an educational treasure trove for music appreciators, who will additionally come to know the renowned musical genius on a personal level, vicariously experiencing both his joys and his many struggles."

Dr. Robert Jones

I have read several of Blanchet’s books by now, and I’m always amazed at how she is able to bring to life some of history’s figures in ways that not only make for captivating fiction, but also remind readers that they were human beings just like the rest of us.

Megan Weiss, Reader Views

"Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy."

"I wish you music to help with the burdens of life and to help you release your happiness to others."

Ludwig van Beethoven

AUTHOR’S NOTES

This is a novella (short novel). Though Ludwig van Beethoven and most of the other principal characters actually lived, some, like Amalie Holstein and Louis Archambault, are fictitious. Any resemblance of the latter to real people, living or deceased, is coincidental.

Beethoven, whose music bridged the late Classical and early Romantic eras, ranks among the world’s most beloved composers. The Voyager spacecraft carries a gold vinyl record featuring two of his works. Extremely prolific, he wrote 722 musical compositions, among them five concertos, thirty-two sonatas, nine symphonies, and sixteen string quartets. Countless children from all over the world have played his Minuet in G, Für Elise, and other pieces in local piano recitals—this author among them. This is not to suggest that his music is simple, however. Beethoven’s compositions encompass a broad spectrum of difficulty. In fact, his Hammerklavier Sonata is universally recognized as among the most challenging piano works ever written. His Grosse Fugue for string quartet, moreover, though vehemently criticized in its day, is now considered among the best and most complex of its genre ever written.

Books on the master composer/musician’s life, which run the gamut from lengthy, scholarly histories to casual novelettes, are so voluminous they could almost fill the Wiener Philharmoniker Concert Hall. This work of biographical fiction has not been intended as an accurate historical portrayal. The author has invoked poetic license, inventing several episodes. Additionally, she has altered a few names and dates, although the events and principal characters in general parallel those in the renowned genius’s life. Employing a unique approach, drawing her readers into conversation with the protagonist, she hopes they will not only experience a compelling story, but also come to appreciate on a personal level the life, trials, and times of this extraordinary talent and his world without smartphones, TVs, airplanes, automobiles, or even fountain pens.

It must be remembered that in Beethoven’s time, Germany was not a unified country. Instead, German-speaking lands (which included parts of present-day Italy; the Czech Republic; Germany; Belgium; and Hungary) were composed of numerous autonomous regions (Cologne, Trier, and Mainz, for example) ruled by kings, counts, dukes, and electors. The latter were powerful nobles entitled to vote for the Holy Roman Emperor, whose capital was in Vienna. Along with his official designation, an elector inherited other titles, such as arch-bishop. The electors of Cologne in Beethoven’s early years were Maximilian Friedrich and Maximilian Franz, the youngest son of Emperor Franz I and brother of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. Unlike their predecessor, who possessed absolute power, spent extravagantly on mass building projects, and ruled with an iron hand, both Friedrich and Franz governed with tolerance in the spirit of the Enlightenment.

In this novella, readers will encounter the terms clavier and harpsichord. The former are stringed, piano-like instruments from the late seventeenth century. The latter, also Baroque piano precursors, are keyboard instruments which were invented in the fifteenth century. Their black and white keys are opposite from those of modern pianos. Sounds are created by striking the keys, which activate a row of levers triggering a mechanism that in turn plucks strings with a small, quill plectrum. Harpsichords have a quaint, clipped sound but allow for little variation in dynamics (volume). Modern pianos, on the other hand, were originally called fortepianos because their loudness could be easily controlled.

The language in this novella in some instances will appear formal, in keeping with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century speech patterns and expressions. On the other hand, in order to attract younger readers, at other times the narrator speaks directly in a more casual style.

Last but not least, as a companion to this book, readers are encouraged to listen to celebrated artists and orchestras on YouTube perform Beethoven’s most famous works, among them Minuet in G; Für Elise; Moonlight Sonata (Sonata #14 in C-sharp minor), first movement; Tempest Sonata (Sonata #17 in D minor), third movement; Appassionata Sonata (Sonata #23 in F minor); Pathétique Sonata (Sonata #8 in C minor), second movement; Eroica, Pastoral, and Choral Symphonies; Violin Concerto in D; Emperor Piano Concerto; arias from Fidelio; Missa Solemnis; String Quartet #13, Grosse Fuge movement; and String Quartet #14.

PROLOGUE

On July 7, 1812 in Teplitz, Austria, Ludwig van Beethoven penciled a ten-page letter to his Immortal Beloved. The missive, which was never mailed, was not discovered until after the famous composer’s death. Even today the intended recipient remains a mystery and is the topic of heated debate among scholars and music historians. Just who might the mysterious addressee have been?

In this novella, by some quirk of fate, you, the reader, have taken a magic carpet ride back through space and time and have the opportunity to ask the master for yourself as he narrates to you the story of his fascinating, but often harried, life.

Part 1

Bonn

Chapter 1:

AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR

Am I going mad? Why did I do that just now—snap at and drive away those most important to me.

Oh…. Hello. Now who are you? When and how did you come in? Don’t tell me you witnessed this embarrassing tirade? You figure to be a concert-goer, or critic perhaps? No, I can see plainly now that you’re not. What was I thinking? And those clothes you’re wearing…. Could you be headed to a masquerade ball? Your costume appears like something from an exotic foreign land, perhaps even another century.

Well, no matter. I suppose you wouldn’t mind listening to my story, which I feel compelled to relate. Sit down, then, and make yourself comfortable. Would you care for some refreshments? Unfortunately, all I have on hand at the moment is streusel cake and some marzipan.

That I am not myself these days is certain. I have grown deaf and am forced to put my ears to the piano to sense the vibrations. While this permits me to hear my music, I have become increasingly withdrawn, morose, and irritable. Many dub me the mad misanthrope musician. But I’m not the ogre those folks believe me to be. They have completely misjudged me. At heart I consider myself sensitive, tender, and caring—even humorous on occasion.

As you will discover, I have learned to read lips to a fair degree. Yet despite that fact, my dark moods seem to be increasing. Oh, Lieber Gott im Himmel! (Dear God in heaven!) You just can’t imagine my constant struggle.

What’s that? A letter you say? What letter? Oh,…the long, rambling one I scrawled to my so-called Immortal Beloved! Now, wait a minute; how would you know about it? That letter still lies in my desk drawer and has not even been mailed.

Are you psychic or what? I don’t believe in psychics, but such knowledge is positively uncanny. Just how have you come to learn