Piano Sonata No.14 "Moonlight" Op.27-2 - I. Adagio sostenuto
Ludwig van Beethoven (1801)
Description
Op. 27 No. 2 carries Beethoven's own designation "sonata quasi una fantasia," and it breaks the convention of opening with a fast movement by putting a slow one first. The nickname "Moonlight" is not his: it derives from the poet Rellstab, who after Beethoven's death likened this movement to moonlight on Lake Lucerne.
In C-sharp minor and cut time, triplet broken chords flow without a break from first bar to last, with a dotted-rhythm melody laid over them. The score is marked to be played with the utmost delicacy and with the dampers raised — that is, with the pedal held down on the instruments of the day. Across some five minutes the volume barely rises.
The task is to keep the triplets from turning mechanical. Merely even, they are monotonous; pulled about, the foundation goes. Hear the triplets as one with the bass beneath them and set the melody gently on top. Holding the pedal as marked blurs a modern piano, so it has to be changed shallowly, judged against the harmony.
Piano sonatas representative of the Classical and Romantic eras, including Beethoven's early works — substantial multi-movement pieces throughout.
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Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Born in Bonn and active in Vienna, Ludwig van Beethoven is among the towering figures in music history, bridging the Classical and Romantic eras. Despite losing his hearing in later life, he continued composing, pursuing innovative forms and intense emotional expression in his symphonies and piano sonatas. His beloved piano piece "Fur Elise" and his 32 piano sonatas remain widely performed. This site includes "Für Elise," the two sonatas of Op. 49, movements from his early piano sonatas, and sets of variations.
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