There are probably very few piano students who have not tried their hand at this piece; it is undeniably one of the most popular classical piano pieces today. And yet unanswered questions still remain. They not only concern details in the musical text but also its famous nickname: Is “Elise”, the reading in the dedication in the autograph, even actually correct? Or should it read “Therese”?

And whom might Beethoven have actually meant? The most recent findings with regard to these questions a...