Which hands to use for Für Elise by Beethoven?

Question

In Für Elise by Beethoven, in many variations found on the net, starting from bar 13, and as I have seen in many videos playing this part, both hands are used consecutively while most to all of them can be easily played with just the right hand. Is there any special reason why this happens (something like making it look pretty)? Is it written by Beethoven himself or have later editors made these changes? Is it wrong or considered rude (because great pianists have not done so) if I play it with only one hand?

PE: My problem is not where E has different octaves, but those D# & Es and continuous moving from the bottom staff to the top staff starting from bar 13, is my main problem, and yes about those Es: although that E to E travel could be done using both hands differently, for example it's much easier for me to play the starting E in bar 13 with my left pinky, the second E with my left thumb and the rest with my right hand, and the highest E with my right hand.

Answer 1

Fingering suggestions, including handedness, are always just suggestions. You can play it how you like. That said, there are a few reasons to use both hands in this passage:

• The octaves are much easier to play smoothly and evenly when you play with both hands.
• Using both hands, you can play the octaves with finger legato, which is good technique even when using the pedal.
• Alternating hands helps less with technique for the minor seconds, but it helps a lot with counting the minor seconds to keep time, especially because the length of that phrase varies throughout the piece.

These reasons are a bit more compelling for beginning and intermediate players, which is usually when you learn this piece, and once you have learned it, there is little reason to change the technique.

Answer 2

For me, I would use the combination of both hands for two main reasons:

1. The less "jumping around" on the piano, the better. Fewer fast movements (such as going from that upper E to the D# 8vb) usually equates to fewer mistakes (or chances for mistakes). If we can make the movements easier by spreading it over both hands, why not?

2. It's very much about 'touch'. To get those E octaves, most people will need to play the lower with their thumb and the upper with their pinky finger. The lower octave E is repeated, and doing this with the thumb (which is the shortest and strongest of human fingers) can result in an excessive, 'harsh' tone on the repeated note. It's a subtle thing, but by using different fingers on the same note, we have more control; not just over tone, but also at fast tempos with rhythmic "even-ness".

Is it "wrong" to play with only one hand? No. But I would suggest that that is not the best method of performing this piece. It may get the job done, but as you say, "great pianists" use both hands, for the reasons above.