The version of ‘Fur Elise’ we hear today is in fact an earlier version that was transcribed by Ludwig Nohl. There is in fact a later version, with drastic changes to accompaniment – which was transcribed from a later manuscript by Barry Cooper. The most notable difference is in the first theme, the left-hand arpeggio’s are delayed by a 16th note beat. There are a few extra bars in the transitional section into the B section; and finally – the rising A minor arpeggio figure is moved later into the piece. The tempo marking ‘Poco Moto’ is believed to have been on the manuscript that Ludwig Nohl transcribed (now lost). The later version includes the marking ‘Molto Grazioso’. It’s believed that Beethoven intended on adding the piece to a cycle of Bagatelles.[citation needed]

The letters that spell Elise can be decoded as the first three notes of the piece. Because an E♭ is called an Es in German and is pronounced as “S”, that makes E-(L)-(I)-S-E: E-(L)-(I)-E♭-E, which by enharmonic equivalents sounds the same as E-(L)-(I)-D♯-E. Furthermore, since “Dis” is the pronunciation of D♯, if the first several notes of the composition are sung with note names, it becomes E-Dis-E-Dis-E (…), creating a word that, as a mondegreen, sounds significantly similar to the name “Elise” (the “L” sound and “D” sound are alveolar consonants). The same notion however is also valid for the name “Therese”.