Baroness Therese von Droßdik (; 1 January 1792 – 27 April 1851) was an Austrian musician and a close friend of Ludwig van Beethoven. She is best known as the potential dedicatee of Beethoven's famous bagatelle "Für Elise", WoO 59.
Biography Malfatti was born in Vienna, Austria on 1 January 1792. She was the daughter of the Viennese-Saxon merchant Jacob Friedrich Malfatti (1769–1829, since 1785 Jacob Friedrich Malfatti von Rohrenbach zu Dezza) and a cousinSieghard Brandenburg: "Der Freundeskreis der Familie Malfatti in Wien. Gezeichnet von Ludwig Ferdinand Schnorr von Carolsfeld". Beethoven-Haus, Bonn 1985, Jahresgaben des Vereins Beethoven-Haus, vol. 4 of the famous and wealthy physician, Johann Baptist Malfatti von Monteregio (1775–1859). Her father, who since 1804 owned an estate in Walkersdorf am Kamp (Grafenegg), was ennobled on 2 April 1806 and given the title "Edler von Rohrenbach zu Dezza".Sieghard Brandenburg: "Der Freundeskreis der Familie Malfatti in Wien. Gezeichnet von Ludwig Ferdinand Schnorr von Carolsfeld". Beethoven-Haus, Bonn 1985, Jahresgaben des Vereins Beethoven-Haus, vol. 4
Her younger sister Anna (1792–1869) married Beethoven's friend Ignaz von Gleichenstein on 29 May 1811 in Etsdorf am Kamp (Grafenegg).Michael Lorenz: Baronin Droßdik und die verschneyten Nachtigallen'. Biographische Anmerkungen zu einem Schubert-Dokument". In: Schubert durch die Brille 26, 2001, p. 64. Therese was "the object of Beethoven's affection and marriage-project in the year 1810".
In April or May 1810, Beethoven wrote to Therese a letter which ended:
Now fare you well, respected Therese. I wish you all the good and beautiful things of this life. Bear me in memory—no one can wish you a brighter, happier life than I—even should it be that you care not at all for your devoted servant and friend, Beethoven.
This was not exactly a love-letter, and it is not certain that Beethoven ever proposed marriage to Therese Malfatti, though some believe that he did. Further, the bagatelle "Für Elise", a piece possibly written for Therese, was found among her personal papers.
Baroness Droßdik died in Vienna in 1851.
References
Further reading Virginia Beahrs: "The Beethoven-Malfatti Connection Revisited". In: The Beethoven Journal 13/1, 1998, , pp. 12–16. Michael Lorenz: "Die 'Enttarnte Elise': Elisabeth Röckels kurze Karriere als Beethovens 'Elise'". In: Bonner Beethoven-Studien 9. Bonn 2011, pp. 169–190. (in German) Ludwig Nohl (ed.): Neue Briefe Beethovens. Nebst einigen ungedruckten Gelegenheitscompositionen und Auszügen aus seinem Tagebuch und seiner Lectüre. Cotta, Stuttgart 1867, pp. 28–33. (in German)
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