Moonlight Sonata – L.V. Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2, nicknamed the “Moonlight Sonata,” was composed in 18011 and published in 18021 with a dedication to the Countess Giulietta Guicciardi,1 a seventeen-year-old woman with whom the musician seems to have been in love.

The nickname “Moonlight”, by which it is widely known today, was given to it by the German poet Ludwig Rellstab in 1832, five years after Beethoven’s death.
Rellstab saw in the first movement of this sonata the evocation of a “boat in the moonlight on Lake Lucerne”.

The reality is different, however, since the first movement describes a funeral march and the sonata was catalogued as mourning music; its performance by Beethoven evoked, according to his assistants, ghosts dragging their chains in a castle.
These misjudgments are largely due to the biased playing of most performers in order to cater to the tastes of the audience.

The violinist Karl Holz is said to have been told by Beethoven that the first movement of the sonata was improvised over the dead body of a friend.
But which friend would it be?

Remastered version (ASMR)

I also edited a very different, more modern, ethereal, steamy, ASMR version to create a relaxing atmosphere perfect for meditation, study, yoga, or falling asleep.

Besides, the arrangement took me a long time, each time I fell asleep on my keyboard

INSTRUMENTS USED

– Piano Boesendorfer – LogicPro X
– ETHEREAL EARTH: https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/play-series/ethereal-earth/
– RAUM: https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/effects/raum/

This version is available on all streaming platforms

Piano Sheet Music

PDF: 3 pages.
Revision by Vincent D'Indy
Level: Intermediate
Price: FREE
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Midi File

Midi file for educational purposes, compatible with digital pianos supporting midi files and with the Synthesia game.
Separated hands
Price: £1.00
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Complete lesson

In French

For this piece, I preferred to share the lesson given by Elie Drai, the teacher I had when I learned this piece.
His explanations are always excellent.

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