Exercises for Moonlight Sonata or simpler songs that are in C# minor

[key of c]

Hi everyone,
I have a student that  is wanting to learn the Moonlight Sonata and I've been trying to find exercizes or more simple pieces written in C# minor for them.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks

[bernhard]

Do you mean the first movement? If so, the three pieces below make good preparatory material and are all beautiful pieces in their own right. They will tackle the main difficulties of the Moonlight (first movement), namely:

1.   Slow, even arpeggios, expressively played.
2.   Bringing out a melody (usually played with the same hand of the arpeggios).
3.   Being able to sustain a very long melodic line.

They are not in C# minor, but if you have a notation program, it is easy to copy them and transpose to C# minor at a click of the mouse. Actually, why not make your student learn them in the original key and then transpose them? This will teach him/her a load of interesting stuff.

Stephan Heller: Study op. 125 no. 6 – Arpeggio triplets on the LH and dotted quaver/semiquaver melodic figuration on the right – just like the Moonlight rhythm pattern. (It is in D minor though).

Stephan Heller: Study op. 47 no. 15 – Same figuration as the Moonlight first: Four triplet arpeggios per bar provide the harmony, while the melody moves from the left to the right hand. Although the key signature and the staritng bar would lead you to believe that it is in E minor, there is quite a lot of modulation in the piece (it ends in E major) – just like the Moonlight. In fact this piece makes a good exercise in harmonic analysis (if you are into this sort of thing).

Robert D. Vandall  - Prelude no. 7 in B minor (Chaconne) – Clearly inspired n the Moonlight first, this could be called a watered down version of it. But I don’t want to say that in a mean way. Basically this is the kind of piece that may pacify (for a while at least) a total beginner that insists in learning the Moonlight. It has similar figurations, similar tune, but can be tackled with ease by a complete beginner.

I am sure there is more.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[rlefebvr]

O.K. I found the Heller stuff, but have not bought them yet.

I can't get find anything by Vandall around here and my search of the net has not been fruitful.

Anyone know of a site that would have this and NOT cost me an arm and a leg.

A site with a digital version would be great.