We know from a letter he wrote in 1802, the Heiligenstedt Testament, that he was contemplating suicide at the time. He wrote it in 1801 during the time when he was confronting the dreadful consequences of the disintegration of his hearing. The first movement has painful funereal qualities marked by despair. The work has nothing to do with romantic notions of moonlight illuminating an intimate rendezvous in a picturesque setting. Beethoven called his work a Sonata in The Nature of a Fantasy. Rellstab said that the opening movement reminded him of “Moonlight shining on Lake Lucerne,” one of the loveliest mountain lakes in Switzerland. That misleading nickname was attached to it five years after Beethoven’s death by Ludwig Rellstab, a German music critic. Why does everybody play it?”īeethoven did not bestow the sobriquet Moonlight on this piece. He said to one of his pupils, Carl Czerny, “Everybody is always talking about the C-sharp minor sonata.

But, its runaway success actually irritated him. Thanks to the first of its three movements, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata became an instant hit in Vienna’s drawing rooms. This piece could be used when one needs to concentrate or a time of relaxation.Piano Sonata No. This may have foreshadowed his feelings, knowing that he could not be with Countess. Despite the fact that the piece was written for one of Beethoven’s love interests it creates a darker feeling. Overall, Moonlight Sonata sounds eerie and haunting. There is strong emphasis on certain notes giving a feeling of importance and emotion in that part of the piece. The dynamics are annotated as piano but Beethoven noted to be played sforzando which means with strong emphasis, making this dynamic sound fortissimo. It had powerful transitions from note to note. The third movement is very different from the first two.

The second movement is a scherzo and is played D flat major instead of C# like the rest of the piece. The dynamic changes are strong and effective in drawing out emotion. The first movement starts out pianissimo and subtly increases to mezzo forte. The piece purposely doesn’t follow the traditional arrangement of fast-slow-fast. The Moonlight Sonata is divided into three movements: Adagio sostenuto, Allegreto, and Presto agitato. He dedicated this piece to his 17 year old pupil, Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, whom he had been in love with. It is referred to as Moonlight Sonata because a music critic by the name of Ludwig Rellstab compared it to the moonlight shining upon Lake Lucerne. It was originally named “Quasi una fantasia” which translates to “almost a fantasy.” It is also commonly known as Moonlight Sonata. These works were produced out of complete deafness and brought about new realms of sound.īeethoven completed Piano Sonata 14 in 1801. Despite his condition, Beethoven produced some of his greatest works after 1818: piano sonatas, string quartets, the Ninth Symphony, and Missa solemnis. Beethoven’s hearing continued to weaken and he was forced to stop performing in public.

At that time, doctors could not do anything to immobilize his illness. At age 29, Beethoven felt his first symptoms of deafness. Beethoven earned income by giving piano lessons, putting on concerts, and publishers were quick to buy him compositions. By age sixteen he played for Mozart “who reportedly said, ‘Keep your eyes on him someday he will give the world something to talk about’” (Kamien 193). Starting at the young age of eleven he served as assistant to the court organist and by age twelve he had published several compositions. His family members were musicians, as well as himself. He is thought to be a musical genius of him time. Ludwig van Beethoven was a composer that bridged the gap between the Classical and Romantic Period.

Moonlight sonata