A timeline of Leonard Bernstein's complicated relationship with his wife, Felicia Montealegre

As shown in "Maestro," Bernstein and Montealegre met at a party in 1946. The two formed a connection almost instantly, and got engaged that same year.

However, the couple's engagement only lasted about a year, and Bernstein and Montealegre had gone their separate ways by the latter half of 1947.

After their engagement ended, Felicia and actor Richard Hart were in a romantic relationship together, according to Bernstein's website. However, Hart died in early 1951, with Felicia at his side.

The couple reunited in 1951 after four years apart, and married that same year at a temple in Boston. Montealegre, who was raised Catholic, converted to Judaism upon her marriage to Bernstein.

As Smithsonian Magazine noted, Bernstein began his marriage to Montealegre with a burst of creativity: after conducting various orchestras in their years apart, he wrote the one-act opera "Trouble in Tahiti" while on their honeymoon.

Even though they were now married, however, the two still struggled on how to approach Bernstein's sexuality and propensity for extramarital affairs.

Tensions between the two regarding Bernstein's male lovers and bisexuality were so great that in late 1951 or early 1952, Montealegre wrote Bernstein a letter suggesting they take a unique approach to making their marriage work.

"You are a homosexual and may never change— you don't admit to the possibility of a double life, but if your peace of mind, your health, your whole nervous system depend on a certain sexual pattern what can you do?" she wrote in the letter, which was later included in a compendium of Bernstein's correspondence edited by Nigel Simeone.

Montealegre continued, "I am willing to accept you as you are, without being a martyr or sacrificing myself on the L.B. altar. (I happen to love you very much—this may be a disease and if it is what better cure?) It may be difficult but no more so than the 'status quo' which exists now—at the moment you are not yourself and this produces painful barriers and tensions for both of us—let's try and see what happens if you are free to do as you like, but without guilt and confession, please!"

She wrote that she hoped her and Bernstein's new arrangement would allow them to live amicably as a couple together.

"A companionship will grow which probably no one else may be able to offer you," Montealegre told Bernstein. "The feelings you have for me will be clearer and easier to express— our marriage is not based on passion but on tenderness and mutual respect. Why not have them?"

Montealegre and Bernstein's unique approach to extramarital affairs is portrayed in "Maestro." As the film shows, Montealegre emphasized to Bernstein that he needed to keep his romantic relationships discreet above all else.

For several decades, Bernstein and Montealegre appeared to live a happy domestic life together. The famed conductor composed the music for the now-classic Broadway musical "West Side Story," and was named music director of the New York Philharmonic in 1958 — the first ever American-born and American-trained individual to hold the title.

Montealegre also continued working during this time, appearing in numerous plays on Broadway, and also performing in classical music concerts.

The couple had three children together: daughter Jamie, born in 1952; son Alexander, born in 1955; and daughter Nina, born in 1962.

As attitudes towards homosexuality changed in the late '60s and early '70s, Bernstein and Montealegre's relationship hit a rough patch. When Montealegre found out about the strong romantic and sexual connection Bernstein had formed with the music director Tom Cothran, she told Bernstein that he had to choose between her and Cothran.

Bernstein ultimately chose to move out and live with Cothran, and in 1976, Montealegre and Bernstein were fully separated.

Montealegre, a heavy smoker, was diagnosed in 1977. Shortly thereafter, Bernstein reconciled with her. He moved back into the family home, as shown in "Maestro," and remained focused on her care until the end of her life.

Montealegre died at the couple's home in Easthampton, New York, at the age of 56. Shortly before her death, she converted back to Catholicism. Bernstein was reportedly devastated by her death, and felt partially to blame due to the timing of his affair with Cothran.

Montealegre and Bernstein are buried together at Green-Wood cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.