The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op.27, No. 2, popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata, is a famous classical piece that communicates a story without lyrics.  It is a piano sonata by Ludwig Van Beethoven, one of the most influential musicians in late 18th century. The name “Moonlight Sonata” is given by the German music critic and poet Ludwig Rellstab five years after Beethoven’s death, for that moonlight shining effect in the first movement.

This sonata consists of three movement: Adagio sostenuto, allegretto and presto agitato. It is significant is the way the layout of this work does not follow the traditional movement arrangement in the classical period of fast–slow–fast. Instead, the first movement is played very quietly (pianissimo), and the loudest it gets is mezzo forte. The adagio sostenuto has made a powerful impression on many listeners. For instance, Berlioz said of it that it “is one of those poems that human language does not know how to qualify”. This beginning movement is more like an introduction or a prelude.

The second movement is getting a little bite faster and it’s moving forward to the next movement. It plays a role of connecting the first and third movement together, which Franz List called it “a flower between two chasms”. The slight majority of the movement is in piano, but a handful of forte-pianos helps to maintain the movement’s cheerful disposition.

Beethoven placed the most important final stormy mvement in the last. This movement, as what Charles Rosen said, is ” the most unbridled in its representation of emotion. Even today, two hundred years later, its ferocity is astonishing.” The writing of this movement contains lots of strongly accented notes and dynamic changes. Beethoven used crescendo a lot to move the passage from piano to fortissimo and to create the sense of a very powerful sound.

Moonlight sonata is definitely my favorite one among all piano sonatas Beethoven compose. I played it when I was in high school. It is a great peice. The most amazing part of this piano sonata is its dynamic changes throughout the whole music. The emotion goes from quiet and sombre to strong and powerful. I think that the name “moonlight sonata” is kind of misleading to Beethoven’s primary intention. He composed this sonata in 1801, when his deafness was getting serious.  Beethoven was also madly in love with Giulietta whom he had hopes of getting married into. The depressive state which was afflicting Beethoven at this time was well reflected in the sombre, funeral tone of the first movement, which has nothing to do with any romantic notions of moonlight. While I was playing this peice, I could feel that Beethoven was narrating his own story. Although there’s no lyrics, we can still interprete the meaning behind it.

Citation:

http://www.moonlightsonata.co.uk/analysis-of-the-moonlight-sonata/

http://www.all-about-beethoven.com/moonsonata.html