The End: Ende

SONATE

SONATA QUASI UNA FANTASIA
Der Grafin Giulietta Guicciardi gewidmet

Komponiert 1801

c#-minor, Op. 27, No. 2: Adagio sostenuto

26 March, 1827

Ludwig van Beethoven, 1823 by Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller

Portrait courtesy of netfiles.uiuc.edu

I am near the end. I am sure of it. I know I am not long for this world. For now, I am laying on my deathbed with my closest friends at my side. Soon, my soul will be carried to heaven, and my body will be buried by my people. At the very least, although I know I am deaf, I can hear my Moonlight Sonata, dedicated to my once beloved Countess Guiletta Guiciardi. I can hear the music guiding my soul to God, and I know "I shall hear again in heaven." One of my closest friends, Anselm Huttenbrenner, and my sister-in-law are with me by my side as my play comes to a close. "Applaud, my friends, the comedy is over."

Farewell for the last time,

Beethoven's Room in 1827 by Johann Nepomuk Hoechle

Picture courtesy of brightcecilia.net

Anselm Huttenbrenner:

I am a close friend of the recently deceased Beethoven. I was with him by his bedside as the great composer passed away. In a few moments, Beethoven's soul will be guided to heaven. Alas, he was not even able to enjoy the crate of wine his publisher sent him. Only his last words, "Oh, pity, pity --- too late!", show how Beethoven was not ready to leave the world just yet. I did not wish to forget my friend in a hurry, so as he died, I wrote what I saw to commit to memory this sad day and to let others who loved Beethoven read of how he left this world. It seemed as if the world itself was angry that Ludwig van Beethoven was no longer alive on this fateful day, for the heavens were filled with thick, angry gray clouds, and lightning and thunder were seen and heard throughout the day.

At 5:45 p.m., the worst happened.

"At this startling, awful peal of thunder,

the dying man suddenly raised his head from [my] arm,

stretched out his own right arm majestically—like a general giving orders to an army. This was but for an instant;

the arm sunk back;

he fell back;

Beethoven was dead."

"Beethoven's eyes opened and he lifted his right fist for
several seconds, a serious, threatening expression on
his face. When his head fell back, he half closed his eyes
... Not another word, not another heartbeat." - Huttenbrenner