Antonie Brentano (1780-1869): Beethoven's "Immortal Beloved"
Antonie Brentano is thought to be the subject of Beethoven's Unsterbliche Geliebte ("Immortal Beloved" or "Eternally Beloved") letter that he wrote in 1812 over a three day period at the spas in Teplitz. The love letter from Beethoven never uses the womans name, and provides no specific clues to the her identity. However, it is clear that the woman in Beethoven's letter has to fit three conditions, all of which would apply to Antonie Brentano. She was a woman well known to Beethoven in Vienna, she was in Prague during the first week of July 1812, and in the weeks following she was in the Bohemian Spa town of Carlsbad.
Antonie Brentano was born as Antonie von Birkenstock in Vienna on April 28 of 1870. Antonie was raised in Vienna, where he childhool was not particularly happy. Her mother died when Antonie was eight years old. Her father then enrolled her in a convent school as a boarder, and she remained here for seven years.
Antonie, by all accounts, was a very attractive young lady, and had four suitors propose marriage to her by the age of 18 years old. She was in love with one of the suitors, but in 1798 her father had arranged for Antonie to marry a man named Franz Brentano, a wealthy banker from Frankfurt. Franz was a kind husband, and frequently allowed his wife freedom to travel back to her hometown of Vienna.
Franz Brentano and his sister Bettina were also acquaintances of Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz had become a friend of Beethovens during a stay in Vienna. Iit is speculated that Beethoven first met Antonie Brentano through Bettina, with whom Beethoven was acquainted with already. It isn't known exactly when Beethoven and Antonie first met, but it was definitely by 1811, when she referenced him in a letter to her brother-in-law.
Antonie Brentano was suffered frequently from illness, and it is said that Beethoven once played the piano for her outside her bedroom to comfort her, but that one of Antonie's children grew tired of the piano playing and dumped a pitcher of water over Beethoven's head.
Antonie arrived in Prague with her family on July 3rd, 1812. Beethoven had been there for a couple of days already. It is said that the love affair between Ludwig van Beethoven and Antonie Brentano took place on the night of July 3rd. Beethoven left Prague and headed for Teplitz the next day.
Beethoven and Antonie Brentano only saw each other two or three more times in the following weeks, but it is believed that they never saw each other again after that.
Antonie Brentano lived a depressed life, outliving most of her family. Beethoven's Diabelli Variations Op. 120 were dedicated to Antonie, and his song cycle, An die ferne Geliebte (To The Distant Beloved) was definitely written with Antonie Brentano on his mind.
Antonie kept a list of her friends that died throughout her life, and the list was many pages long by the end of her life. The first entry on that list was "Beethoven, 26 March 1827."