"The Immortal Beloved" (German: "Unsterbliche Geliebte") is the name given to the person who was the intended recipient of a love letter written by composer Ludwig van Beethoven on July 6 or 7, 1812, in Teplitz. At that time, Teplitz was part of the Austrian Empire and is now located in the Czech Republic. The letter, which was never sent, was written in pencil on 10 small pages. After Beethoven's death, the letter was discovered among his belongings and is now kept in the Berlin State Library.

Beethoven did not write the year or the location of the letter in the text. In the 1950s, scientists studied the paper’s watermark and used it to determine the year and, by extension, the place where the letter was written. Scholars are not certain who the intended recipient was. Most modern scholars believe it could be Antonie Brentano or Josephine Brunsvik. Other names that have been suggested include Johanna van Beethoven, Julie ("Giulietta") Guicciardi, Therese Brunsvik, Amalie Sebald, Dorothea von Ertmann, Therese Malfatti, Anna Maria Erdődy, and Bettina von Arnim.

Text analysis

After Schmidt-Görg (1957) shared 13 previously unknown love letters from Beethoven to Josephine Brunsvik, it became clear that the letter addressed to the "Immortal Beloved" was not the only love letter Beethoven wrote. Later studies suggested that Josephine might be the unknown woman in the "Immortal Beloved" letter. These studies compared similarities in language and phrases between earlier letters (from 1804 to 1809) and the mysterious 1812 letter. Key findings from these studies include:

• The phrase "my angel" appears again near the end of the letter. This is similar to a line in another letter from 1805 that says "farewell angel of my heart."
• The phrase "my everything, you – you – my life – my everything" appears in earlier letters, such as one from 1805 that says "you – you – my everything, my happiness … my solace – my everything."
• Esterhazy was a Hungarian prince who was known to the Brunsvik family.
• The phrase "remain my faithful only, your faithful Ludwig" appears in earlier letters, showing a long-term relationship. One example is a letter from 1805 that says "Long – Long – may our love last – it is so noble – so much founded on mutual respect and friendship."
• The letter mentions Josephine suffering and being with the writer wherever he is. Josephine was often sick and very upset because her husband had left her.
• The letter includes the line "but – but never hide yourself from me." During 1807, Josephine began to avoid Beethoven due to family pressure and was not at home when he visited.
• The line "I must go to bed o go with me go with me" has heavily crossed-out words. These might indicate that Beethoven and Josephine had a romantic relationship. This could explain the birth of Minona, Josephine's seventh child, nine months later.

The period of speculation (1827 to 1969)

In 1840, Anton Schindler wrote a biography of Beethoven and named Julie, also called Giulietta Guicciardi, as the "Immortal Beloved." However, research by Tellenbach in 1983 suggested that Giulietta's cousin, Franz von Brunsvik, may have recommended her to Schindler to shift attention away from his sister, Josephine Brunsvik, who Beethoven had been in love with from 1799 to around 1810. In 1909, La Mara published Therese Brunsvik's memoirs, which showed her deep admiration for Beethoven. This, along with interviews with Brunsvik descendants, led to the idea that Therese might have been the "Immortal Beloved."

At first, many researchers, including Alexander Wheelock Thayer, believed Therese was the "Immortal Beloved." Thayer thought the letter was written around 1806–07. Thomas-San-Galli studied guest lists in Bohemia and first suggested Amalie Sebald was the "Immortal Beloved" in 1909. However, since Sebald was not in Prague in July 1812, she was ruled out. In 1910, Thomas-San-Galli proposed that Therese Brunsvik might have secretly traveled to Prague instead.

Hevesy (1910) questioned Therese's claim, noting that "Louis" in her diary referred to Count Louis Migazzi, not Beethoven. Unger (1910) also doubted Amalie Sebald's involvement. Forbes summarized earlier research on this topic.

A forged letter by Paul Bekker in Die Musik was later proven to be a hoax by Newman in 1911, an attempt to support the Guicciardi theory. The date of the "Immortal Beloved" letter—July 6–7, 1812—was confirmed by watermarks and a later letter from Beethoven to Rahel Varnhagen, which mentioned meeting the "Immortal Beloved" on July 3, 1812.

In 1920, La Mara, after finding more letters in the Brunsvik estate, concluded that Josephine, the Countess Deym, was the "Immortal Beloved." In 1938, Czeke published Therese's diary notes, some already known to Romain Rolland in 1928. He suggested Beethoven loved Josephine but leaned toward Therese as the "Immortal Beloved."

Kaznelson studied more documents in the Brunsvik estate and believed Josephine was the "Immortal Beloved" because her daughter was born nine months after meeting Beethoven. However, he could not access the "13 Letters" in Zurich.

Editha and Richard Sterba used psychoanalysis to argue that Beethoven's nephew, Karl, was the "Immortal Beloved." Steichen identified Marie Erdödy as someone Beethoven loved deeply, possibly the "Immortal Beloved." George R. Marek (1969) argued that Dorothea Von Ertmann could have been the "Immortal Beloved."

The discovery of Josephine Brunsvik (1957–1999)

Schmidt-Görg discovered and shared 13 previously unknown love letters from Beethoven to Josephine Brunsvik, along with a draft letter that survived as a copy made by Josephine. These letters could be dated to the years between 1804 and 1809/10, a time when Josephine was a widow after the early death of her first husband, Count Deym. Schmidt-Görg criticized Kaznelson’s findings as “sensationalist.” Goldschmidt explained why German scholars were hesitant to accept Kaznelson’s theory, which was published earlier: “The idea that Beethoven had a natural daughter from this relationship seemed too risky to the academic community, and this made scholars more resistant to the Josephine hypothesis.” Schmidt-Görg (1957) believed that the love relationship ended with Josephine’s marriage to Baron Stackelberg in 1810, even though he still thought the last letter was written in 1807, not 1809.

Ley (1957) had a different view:

Riezler, a well-known German biography of Beethoven, supported Kaznelson’s claim that Josephine was Beethoven’s “only love.” Dahlhaus also agreed, saying that evidence within Beethoven’s works suggests Josephine was the “Immortal Beloved.”

French authors Jean and Brigitte Massin (1967) identified Josephine as the “Immortal Beloved,” mainly by comparing the “Letter to the Immortal Beloved” with earlier love letters. They noted that the wording and themes of loyalty in the letter match those in the earlier letters. Additionally, the Massins argued that Josephine’s presence in Beethoven’s life left traces in his music, and these connections make sense from a music theory perspective.

After Massin & Massin (1967) and Goldschmidt (1980), Tellenbach (1983, 1987, 1988, 1999) supported Josephine’s candidacy by presenting new documents, such as later diary entries by Therese. For example, Tellenbach cited the discovery of “Three letters by Beethoven… they must have been to Josephine, whom he loved passionately.”

Therese wrote about Beethoven: “It is like a dream that he was the friend and confidant of our house—a beautiful mind! Why did not my sister Josephine, as a widow, take him as her husband? Josephine’s soul-mate! They were born for each other. She would have been happier with him than with Stackelberg. Maternal affection made her forgo her own happiness.” Therese explained that Josephine could not marry Beethoven, a commoner, because she would have lost guardianship of her aristocratic children.

Therese also wrote about Beethoven: “How unhappy, with such intellectual talent. At the same time Josephine was unhappy! Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien—both together they would have been happy (perhaps). What he needed was a wife, that’s for sure.”

Therese added: “I was so lucky to have been acquainted with Beethoven, intimately and intellectually, for so many years! Josephine’s intimate friend, her soul mate! They were born for each other, and if both were still alive, they would be united.”

Goldschmidt evaluated the Josephine hypothesis: “Without clear proof to the contrary, it is reasonable to continue believing that the ‘Immortal Beloved’ was likely Josephine, the ‘Only Beloved.’”

Josephine’s candidacy as the “Immortal Beloved” was challenged by Solomon (1988), mainly in response to Massin (1967, 1970), Goldschmidt (1980), and Tellenbach (1983).

Antonie Brentano and other alternatives (1955–2011)

In 1955, French scholars Jean and Brigitte Massin noted that Antonie Brentano was in Prague and Karlsbad during a certain time and suggested she might be the "Immortal Beloved." They said the idea that Antonie could be the "Immortal Beloved" is both interesting and unlikely. They explained:

"Interesting" because
• Beethoven and Antonie were on friendly terms after she returned to Vienna,
• In the summer of 1812, Beethoven stayed in the same hotel in Franzensbad as the Brentanos, and
• He dedicated a one-movement trio to Antonie's daughter, Maxe, in the same year.

"Unlikely," they said, because
• Beethoven had a long-lasting friendship with Antonie's husband, Franz,
• He borrowed money from Franz, and
• "Many letters Beethoven wrote to Antonie show that their relationship was true and deep but only formal, and Beethoven always saw Franz, Antonie, and their children as a close family unit."

Four years later, a Japanese author named Yayoi Aoki claimed to have "discovered" Antonie as the "Immortal Beloved." However, this claim was not widely noticed outside Japan. She later published her findings in a recent German book.

Later, Solomon (1972, 1998) again suggested Antonie Brentano might be the "Immortal Beloved." His idea was based on two main points:
1. The woman must have been in Prague and Karlsbad around the same time as Beethoven.
2. She must have been very close to Beethoven before the event.

Regarding point 1: Antonie arrived in Prague on July 3, 1812, after a long trip with her husband, child, and servant. She left the next morning at dawn. Solomon admitted, "There is no proof Beethoven and Antonie met in Prague." About Karlsbad, he said, "It is possible the letter came from a meeting with a woman who told Beethoven she was going to Karlsbad but never went." Goldschmidt noted that short-term visitors were not required to report their stays.

Regarding point 2: There are no love letters between Beethoven and Antonie, nor any other documents showing a romantic relationship. Only a letter from Antonie to her brother-in-law, Clemens, mentions her "admiration" for Beethoven. She wrote, "At what point this admiration became love is not clear. I think it happened in the fall of 1811. … The love affair began by late 1811." Solomon (1998) cited a song titled "An die Geliebte" [To the Beloved], WoO 140, which Antonie wrote in her handwriting: "Requested by me from the author on March 2, 1812." The song was written for a singer named Regina Lang in November 1811. Solomon (1972) said Beethoven's earlier separation from Josephine, his "Only Beloved," did not rule out Josephine being the "Immortal Beloved": "There is no proof the relationship was not rekindled later."

Solomon's idea was challenged by Goldschmidt (1980), Tellenbach (1983, 1987, 1988, 1993–1994, 1998), Beahrs (1972, 1986, 1988, 1993), Dahlhaus (1991), Pichler (1994), Altman (1996), Meredith (2000), Steblin, Walden, Caeyers [de; nl], and Swafford (2014).

Goldschmidt said, "The Antonie theory is not so strong that it rules out other possibilities." He added, "To confirm or deny the Antonie theory, other theories must be tested."

Altman (1996) said much of the support for Antonie comes from misunderstandings, guesses, and errors. However, Altman's idea that Marie Erdödy was the "Immortal Beloved" was proven "impossible" by Cooper.

Lund (1988) claimed Antonie's son, Karl, born on March 8, 1813, was Beethoven's child, as he was born eight months after the alleged meeting. Solomon did not support this, calling it "sensationalistic."

Beahrs supported Josephine, saying, "Was there a deep and lasting love for someone Beethoven could not marry? … Where is any proof of true romantic love for Marie Erdödy, Dorothea von Ertmann, Therese Malfatti, or Antonie Brentano? All have been suggested as the 'Immortal Beloved,' but there is no evidence. They were close friends, but not lovers. Only Josephine received passionate love letters from Beethoven."

Pulkert's (2000) claim about Almerie Esterházy, a woman Beethoven did not know, was refuted by Steblin (2001). Meredith said, "There is no proof of a connection between Almerie and Beethoven. … There is also no proof of a romantic relationship between Antonie and Beethoven, only a close friendship. For Josephine, we know Beethoven was passionately in love with her between 1805 and 1807."

Kopitz said Antonie was a happily married mother, and the idea that she was the "Immortal Beloved" includes an unlikely situation involving three people in Karlsbad, which does not make sense.

Walden suggested Bettina Brentano was the "Immortal Beloved," based on the idea that one of two fake letters Beethoven wrote to her was real. However, the original letter is lost, and its authenticity is doubted. Meredith said Walden's idea deserves fair consideration.

Meredith reviewed the debate and noted that important studies by French and German scholars, such as Massin & Massin and Goldschmidt, were never translated into English. This limited the availability of key resources for Beethoven scholarship in the United States. He also said Tellenbach's work was never translated into English.

Josephine re-discovered (2002–present)

New discoveries from European archives were made and shared by Steblin and Skwara & Steblin in 2007. These findings include two key points:

• Josephine’s husband, Baron Stackelberg, was likely away from home in early July 1812 (possibly since late June for about two months). Josephine wrote in her diary: “Today has been a difficult day for me. The hand of fate is resting ominously on me. I saw my own deep sorrows and the decline of my children, and almost all my courage left me. Stackelberg wants to leave me alone. He is unfeeling toward those in need.” Steblin also found a document titled “Table of Rules,” dated July 5–11, containing ethical categories written by Christoph von Stackelberg. This document, created during a time when he was considering his future, supports the idea that Josephine was left alone in June and July 1812.

• Josephine clearly stated her plan to travel to Prague in June 1812. She wrote: “I want to see Liebert in Prague. I will never let the children be taken from me. Because of Stackelberg, I have hurt my health through the distress and illness he caused me.” These findings offer a new way to understand old evidence, confirming Josephine was Beethoven’s only “Immortal Beloved.” This explanation helps clarify Beethoven’s mysterious remarks about his relationship with the “Immortal Beloved,” which were previously confusing.

In art

In the 1994 film Immortal Beloved, written and directed by Bernard Rose, the Immortal Beloved is Beethoven's sister-in-law, Johanna Reiss. She was involved in a long and difficult legal dispute with Beethoven over the custody of his nephew, Karl van Beethoven.

Canadian composer James K. Wright created a song cycle titled Briefe an die unsterbliche Geliebte/Letters to the Immortal Beloved (2012). The piece uses excerpts from a letter Beethoven wrote on July 6–7, 1812. The Gryphon Trio recorded the work with Canadian mezzo-soprano Julie Nesrallah in 2015 and with Luxembourg baritone David John Pike in 2019.