London, Jul 1 The identity of the lady that German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven had composed his music after has been revealed by a music expert.

Für Elise, meaning 'For Elise', is one of Beethoven's best-known melodies, a mainstay of piano lessons for generations and a ringtone on millions of mobile phones.

Scholars were puzzled for years over the identity of the lady, and they were further hampered by the loss of the original manuscript.

But now Klaus Martin Kopitz, a German musicologist and Beethoven expert, believes he has identified the woman of the title as Elisabeth Rockel.

Rockel was a German soprano and sister of Joseph August Rockel, a tenor who was conducted by the composer in Fidelio in 1806.

She was part of Beethoven's inner circle, according to Kopitz, and later married his friend and rival, the composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel.

In an article to be published by the Beethoven-Haus museum in Bonn next year, Kopitz asserts that she was also known by the name Elise, an entry in the records of St Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, refers to her as "Maria Eva Elise".

"It is known that, when Beethoven wrote the piece in 1810, the two enjoyed a close friendship," the Telegraph quoted Kopitz as saying.

"Röckel related how, during a dinner party, Beethoven 'would pinch my arm out of sheer affection'," he said.

It was also known that, shortly before his death in 1827, she obtained a lock of his hair and was presented with one of his last quills.

If Kopitz's theory turns out right, he will have put to rest a number of previous theories, including that the title of the lost manuscript had been misread and originally referred to Theresa Malfatti, a woman Ludwig van Beethoven had pursued. (ANI)