Beethoven: Sonata 14 (Moonlight) Op. 27 No. 2 in C-sharp Minor
Piano Sheet Music to Download and Print or to View in Mobile Devices
ID:26 Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonatas :Sonata 14 (Moonlight), Op. 27 No. 2 |
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| Key: C-sharp Minor | Year: 1801 | |
| Level: 8+ | Period: Classical | |
 Piano score: PS Urtext | ||
| Piano score: Ruthardt edition | ||
| Piano score: facsimile of first edition | ||
 Sonata 14 (Moonlight) Op. 27 No. 2 - FREE SAMPLE (mp3 file) | ||
 Recordings in Naxos Music Library
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The Piano Sonata op. 27 no. 2 in C-sharp minor - better known as the Moonlight Sonata - is one of Beethoven's most popular piano works, especially the haunting first movement with its sad melody played against the familiar ostinato triplet rhythm. It's the kind of soothingly beautiful but sad movement that can almost place a listener into a state of hypnosis. The most famous remark about this movement was made by Ludwig Rellstab, a German critic and poet, who likened it to moonlight shining upon Lake Lucerne.
Slightly less well known but indeed well worth exploring are the comparatively cheerful second movement - a fairly conventional and straightforward Scherzo and trio in D-flat major - and the heavier, stormier third movement Presto, which revisits the key and material of the first movement. This dramatic composition, with typical Beethovenian sharp accents, is also very difficult to play, especially when compared to the relatively simple first movement. The sonata was completed in 1801 and dedicated to the Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, a pupil of Beethoven, in 1802.
Slightly less well known but indeed well worth exploring are the comparatively cheerful second movement - a fairly conventional and straightforward Scherzo and trio in D-flat major - and the heavier, stormier third movement Presto, which revisits the key and material of the first movement. This dramatic composition, with typical Beethovenian sharp accents, is also very difficult to play, especially when compared to the relatively simple first movement. The sonata was completed in 1801 and dedicated to the Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, a pupil of Beethoven, in 1802.
| Practice & Performance Tips: |
| Beethoven instructs the performer to depress the sustain pedal for the entire duration of the first movement. ("Si deve suonare tutto questo pezzo delicatissimamente e senza sordino"). On most modern instruments, however, the effect will probably be too blurred if there are no pedal changes at all. But if that other main instruction is followed - to play softly and delicately throughout - it becomes possible to experiment a bit with the right pedal to achieve the sort of half-blurring that Beethoven was after. The next two movements are more difficult, but don’t hesitate to try the second movement Allegretto if you are an intermediate player, as it is a beautiful piece of music as well as an excellent exercise in articulation, rhythm, balance and control of touch. The last movement is really only for the most advanced pianists. The piece is like an erupting volcano, and it’s quite a feat to keep these continual explosions under control. However, focusing on the steadiness of the left hand part will help you to stay on top of... Sign up for a Gold membership to read the practice tips. |
Downloadable piano sheet music from Sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven to print: Sonata 14 (Moonlight) Op. 27 No. 2 in C-sharp Minor (published in 1801)
Sonata 14 (Moonlight) Op. 27 No. 2 in C-sharp Minor, a composition by the classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The piano score of this piece was first published in 1801 and is part of Sonatas by Beethoven.
Sonata 14 (Moonlight) Op. 27 No. 2 in C-sharp Minor, a composition by the classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The piano score of this piece was first published in 1801 and is part of Sonatas by Beethoven.