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Technical Notice
| Classical Composer: | Beethoven, Ludwig van |
|---|---|
| Work: | Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2, "Moonlight" |
| Year Composed: | 1801 |
| Instrumentation: | pf |
| Publishers: |
Universal Edition Oxford University Press Schott Music Breitkopf & Härtel |
| Duration: | 00:16:00 |
| Period: | Classical (1750-1830) |
| Work Category: | Instrumental |
Work Information
Available Recording(s)
The Moonlight Sonata has its name from the inspiration of the poet Rellstab (whose verses were to be set to music by Schubert). Writing in 1832 he likened the sonata to the wild scenery bordering Lake Lucerne, seen from a boat by moonlight. The French romantic composer Berlioz, on the other hand, preferred to see sunlight in the sonata, and other writers have been equally imaginative.
The sonata is more properly described by its title Sonata quasi una fantasia, Opus 27 No. 2, in the key of C sharp minor. The imaginative writer Arnold Schering, already referred to, found a literary parallel with Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, but others have chosen to find in the sonata romantic notions of a different kind. It was completed in 1801, and dedicated, at the last minute, to Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, a young pupil of Beethoven.
This sonata has always enjoyed enormous popularity, and has, therefore, been the subject of speculation. It has also undergone the indignity of various arrangements, including, in 1835, a concert performance in which the first movement was played by an orchestra, and the second two by Liszt.
The form of the Moonlight Sonata is unusual. Its first movement, a texture of delicacy, is a slow one, and it is followed by a brief second movement in the form of a scherzo and trio, the slightly less regular successor of the Minuet. Histrionics are left until the last movement, with its contrasts of melody and dynamics.
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