Ertmann, (Catharina) Dorothea von (née Grautmann)

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Ertmann, (Catharina) Dorothea von (née Grautmann)

Ertmann, (Catharina) Dorothea von (née Grautmann), German pianist, niece of Mathilde Marchesi de Castrone; b. Offenbach am Main, May 3, 1768; d. Vienna, March 16, 1849. While still a youth, she earned a fine reputation as a pianist. In 1798 she married an infantry officer, Stephan von Ertmann, and settled with him in Vienna. In 1804 she met Beethoven, who subsequently became her mentor and good friend. In return, Ertmann championed his piano music. Beethoven’s Piano Sonata, op. 101, was dedicated to her. In 1820 her husband was stationed in Milan, where she lived until his death in 1835, when she returned to Vienna.

—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire