Anna Maria Erdődy

Marie Erdődy as remembered by a plaque at her estate in Jedlesee for her residence and patronage there during Beethoven's lifetime.

Countess Anna Maria (Marie) von Erdődy (21 August 1778 – 17 March 1837) was a Hungarian noblewoman and among the closest confidantes and friends of Ludwig van Beethoven. Dedicatee of four of the composer's late chamber works, she was instrumental in securing Beethoven an annuity from members of the Austrian high nobility.

Life She was born Countess von Niczky in Arad, then part of the Kingdom of Hungary, today Romania. On 6 June 1796 she married Count Péter Erdődy of Monyorokerék and Monte Claudio, scion of the noted Erdődy line of the Hungarian/Croatian aristocracy. They had two daughters and a son: Marie, Friederike, and August, affectionately known as Mimi, Fritzi, and Gusti. Beethoven plaque, Erdödy estate, Jedlesee, Floridsdorf-Vienna, citing Beethoven's repeated sojourns there as a guest. Marie was instrumental in helping to sway members of the Imperial nobility to granting Beethoven a lifelong annuity in an effort to induce him to remain in Austrian lands in the face of an offer of employment as Kapellmeister in Cassel, from Jérôme, King of Westphalia. Jan Swafford characterizes Beethoven's real intentions thus: But by now he knew he would probably not go to Cassel, if he ever actually wanted to in the first place. Instead, he was busily involved in plans to secure a permanent annuity from a collection of Viennese patrons. The idea, and the outline of the agreement, had originated with Beethoven himself and had been promoted by Baron Gleichenstein and Countess Erdödy. Its gist was that in return for staying in Vienna, Beethoven asked to receive a yearly sum simply for plying his trade as he saw fit. The amount he hoped to receive was roughly the same as he had been offered in Cassel. approach her, which she is convinced they will... If you should have time this afternoon, the Countess would be glad to see you."

In gratitude for these services and her hospitality in the years 1808 through 1809, Beethoven dedicated to Marie Erdődy the two piano trios opus 70, composed during Beethoven's extended stay with her, and later the pair of cello sonatas opus 102, written for the cellist Joseph Linke (who, along with Brauchle, became a tutor to Marie's children it being documented how familiar the couple had grown since at least the year 1808, and noting Marie's 1805 separation from her husband. But Altman makes clear that in summer 1812 Marie was at Hernals, on the west bank of the Danube. Altman says in summing up that Beethoven visited Hernals in September 1812, "and therefore saw his Beloved as he had indicated he would in his letter to her", adding that, wherever Beethoven expected to be at the time he wrote the letter was where the Beloved would have been, both to receive the letter and to reunite with him.

Depiction in film Countess Erdody is portrayed by actress Isabella Rossellini in Bernard Rose's 1994 film Immortal Beloved, where she reminisces of her time with Beethoven (Gary Oldman) with Felix Schindler (Jeroen Krabbe). She in turn plays cello in the first performance of the Ghost Trio, which were written while Beethoven was staying at her estate in 1809.