The Truth About The Moonlight Sonata

Рет қаралды 308,083

Күн бұрын

0:00 Introduction: one of the most famous pieces in the world
0:37 Things about the piece that are not so familiar
1:14 The historical context
1:55 The ’sacred tradition’
2:29 Beethoven is going deaf
3:00 Two new sonatas
3:08 The career-defining genre
3:41 Sonata quasi una Fantasia - an experimental approach to the genre
5:17 “without dampers”
5:56 The fortepiano of Beethoven’s time
6:18 The tempo and the sonority
6:53 Impressionistic sound
7:52 An enormous hit
8:22 'Moonlight’ was never Beethoven’s title
9:01 Connection with Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’
13:08 The beginning
13:41 The ‘funeral march’ melody and Op 26
15:13 A ghost scene
15:49 The '2nd subject’ lament
16:00 Dissonance
16:33 The dedicatee
17:45 The development section
18:52 The recapitulation
19:09 The coda
19:26 The whole form flows
19:44 The combination of classical form and improvisation
20:11 The other movements
20:40 The first movement played on a fortepiano
The topic of this video is the first movement of Beethoven’s second 'Sonata quasi Una Fantasia’ Op 27, more commonly known today as the Moonlight Sonata, with a discussion about some of the less familiar aspects of the music’s genesis (especially its probable connection with Mozart’s Don Giovanni) and challenging some very old misconceptions about its title, its meaning, its tempo, its pedalling and even the way it is meant to sound.
The video ends with a recording of the complete first movement, played on a fortepiano. Following Beethoven’s instructions that the dampers be lifted from the strings throughout the movement, a poetic, mysterious and ghostly sound world is created in which each sonority dissolves impressionistically into the next.
This channel is very grateful to an anonymous donor for the use of a fortepiano for the recording of the first movement at the end of the video.
Matthew King has never been a good speller - we apologise for the misspelling of the word 'neapolitan' in the video.
Beethoven: Sonata quasi Una Fantasia Op 27 no. 2 (first movement)
Pianist: Matthew King
A recording of Mozart's trio from Scene 1 of Don Giovanni (the death of the Commendatore) can be seen here • DON GIOVANNI. HD full ... (at 10:52)
A while ago, Andras Schiff gave a fascinating Wigmore Hall lecture on this sonata. Here's the recording: • András Schiff - Sonat...
#Beethoven #Moonlightsonata #themusicprofessor
⦿ SUPPORT US ON PATREON ⦿
/ musicprofessor
⦿ BUY US A Kofi ⦿
ko-fi.com/themusicprofessor
⦿ Support us on PayPal ⦿
paypal.me/themusicprofessor?c...
⦿ SUBSCRIBE TO THIS CHANNEL ⦿
bit.ly/3Pnnwon
Edited by Ian Coulter ( www.iancoultermusic.com )
Produced and directed by Ian Coulter & Matthew King

Пікірлер: 1 000

@raymondhopkins506 8 ай бұрын

This piece moved me to tears when I first heard it at the age of 12. More than seventy years later, it still does.

@Sveccha93 7 ай бұрын

This comment moved me to tears. It's wonderful to feel part of a shared experience.

@RWBHere 7 ай бұрын

It has the same effect on me, more than 60 years after first hearing it. I never could identify it with moonlight, but rather an expression of Beethoven's deep inner sadness at the time he composed it.

@kp6215 7 ай бұрын

Me too in 1963. My favorite piece to be played at my funeral in my will because I can never be without Beethoven and Mozart.

@autumnsilverwolves 7 ай бұрын

Me too. I first heard it when a stepsister played it on the piano when I was 14. 36 years later it's still my favorite piece of music

@johnryan1004 6 ай бұрын

Same especially if I listen during pollen season

@Kurtlane 8 ай бұрын

My father would play it slowly (as it is usually played) and say, "Played like that it sounds calm and tranquil." And then speed up just a bit, and say, "Played like that, it's uneasy and worrying." We had an upright 19th century piano, so the sound was closer to the old fortepiano.

@spacebender 6 ай бұрын

The parallels with “Don Giovanni” are uncanny and reveal how the Sonata contains a tribute to Mozart while remaining entirely original. Your notations were wonderfully instructive and your rendition exquisite - powerful and subtle.

@xanthippas 6 ай бұрын

Beethoven was an absolute genius to hear in that small segment what 99.9 percent of the people listening would find to be entirely forgettable.

@teresagardiner153 3 ай бұрын

@@xanthippas People don't generally find Don Giovanni forgettable. It's widely accepted as a masterpiece.

@Siansonea 8 ай бұрын

Well now we have to have the whole thing on the fortepiano. You had to know that would happen. 😆

@douglasmccannpiano 8 ай бұрын

Because. Beatles great variation

@kenpeters9807 8 ай бұрын

I am very curious how you know HOW he wanted it played. Do you have a recording from him?

@Siansonea 8 ай бұрын

@@kenpeters9807 The closest thing we have to a "recording" is what Beethoven wrote. FYI, audio recording technology didn't start to be a thing until the early 20th Century, long after Beethoven's time.

@jamesbastani4295 7 ай бұрын

@@Siansonea I think Ken is being facetious.

@spoffspoffington6576 7 ай бұрын

At bit posh . I quay

@suecox2308 8 ай бұрын

It has always sounded melancholy to me rather than romantic--the kind of piece that can draw tears from its listener. Thanks so much for another interesting video; the historical context adds a lot.

@ryacoli 8 ай бұрын

Romantic Period (1798 - 1837) Melancholic Period (??? - ???)

@richardgurney1844 8 ай бұрын

I like to associate the piece with Beethoven's despair in going deaf. Pain, loss, despair, and death - those are the feelings I get from Movement 1. And Movement 3 too, with added fury! Movement 2 I interpret as Beethoven pretending he's fine, on the outside

@Gubbe51 8 ай бұрын

Define "romantic".

@psychonaut689 8 ай бұрын

Consoling his pain.

@sugarfree1894 8 ай бұрын

@@Gubbe51 'Romantic' refers to a historical period, in the context of creative arts. It's also the general adjective. Sometimes it's not clear which one someone means.

@captainmol0 6 ай бұрын

I feel so vindicated! 😅 I thought it should be played faster than what my teacher wanted. I also got points deducted at an adjudication because I played it “too fast.” 😒 I also think that it’s a highly emotional, tension- anxiety-filled piece. The tension builds, then there’s a glimmer of hope for a resolution, but then the frustration rises again only to fade away into despair. One of my all time favorites to play. Thanks for all the great history regarding it.

@deepg7084 7 ай бұрын

This piece has always held such a strange place in my heart. I have never been comfortable with how it makes me feel. Sort of downtrodden, conflicted, regretful. Yet, it simultaneously exudes a beauty that you can get lost in. Sort of like a flower sprouting from a smoldering battle field. So despite the discomfort, I still continue listening. It's so strange. This was a fascinating breakdown of the piece.

@peters9744 6 ай бұрын

Good writing.

@mariaashot5648 5 ай бұрын

Curious that you have that reaction to it! I find it soothing, dreamy, High Romantic - evocative of the era (my expertise is in the literature of that epoch) - nostalgic for idealism yet at the same time cognizant of all the damage done by "idealists in power." Which was pretty much the mood across Europe after the cataclysms of the French Revolution followed by the Napoleonic Wars: so many deaths, so much destruction, so many traumatised survivors, military as well as civilians... Broken families, forced marriages, expropriations, emigrations... When my grandson was a baby, we would play this Sonata to him (William Kempff version, usually, because it is the quietest in the beginning) to quiet him down to sleep. Now he is 13, and the entire thing, along with other Sonatas by Beethoven, are amongst his very favourite pieces of music to listen to. Classical music trains young minds to focus.

@nathanjohnson9715 5 ай бұрын

@@mariaashot5648 I kinda think that baby mozart stuff is a myth

@Grizzlox 7 ай бұрын

I have always considered this to be an extremely haunting piece of music. It's dissonance leaves you with that feeling of being unsure how things are going to resolve, which is exactly how you feel when you lament life's sorrows. Occasionally, the tone lifts as if it's going to become hopeful... but each time, the dissonance remains and that driving baseline remains underneath, reminding you that there is nothing but despair.

@tubax926 2 ай бұрын

that's why you have to listen to all 3 movements together if you don't like that feeling to linger. First one gets to know you then leaves you feeling dissonant, second one breaks the tension and shocks you up, third movement takes you through a rollercoaster and beautifully concludes the piece.

@aguywithanopinion8912 6 ай бұрын

This is the sort of tempo I would play Moonlight Sonata as a kid. My mother would always tell me it was too fast. Now I can tell her it is what Beethoven intended.

@anzulove7457 6 ай бұрын

I like the "fast" tempo too. It feels so good lol

@antoniocarlosgomesfernedag1637 Ай бұрын

For me, play this music fast kills the funeral atmosphere that it have.... I preffer that slowly...

@JLMABIO Ай бұрын

@@antoniocarlosgomesfernedag1637 I preferred speed is that of Claudio Arrau's black and white version one finds in YTube. Slower.

@bobbarclay316 8 ай бұрын

A Paul Simon/Ladysmith line says "Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake. That photo had connections ringing in my head.

@sonicsatsuma1256 7 ай бұрын

Incredible rendition. So used to the first half and other performances / interpretations getting mushy towards the end. The second half was so clear harmonically, it had me tranced out. How the hell did Beethoven even write this? It moves from start to finish and modulates smoothly all the way through without actually repeating itself literally. Addictive!

@themusicprofessor 7 ай бұрын

Well, there is something marvellous about that, isn't there!?

@bradhuskers 7 ай бұрын

@themusicprofessor Yes. That's why Beethoven is an immortal.

@jeffreyjeziorski1480 7 ай бұрын

@@bradhuskers do not downplay the fact that LVB was a hard workin' sumbitch.

@michaelmoore7975 6 ай бұрын

@@themusicprofessor The Electric Light Orchestra made a pretty good "modernized" rendition of _Moonlight Sonata,_ most familiar being the opening piano strains but really treated the original with respect. Jeff Lynne's lyrics written for it are quite beautiful as well. No coincidence the title also nods with respect to lovely, lovely Ludwig van, calling it _Ticket to the Moon._

@adrianthomas6244 6 ай бұрын

@themusicprofessor great video, very informative, I absolutely love playing this fantastic sonata on the piano, I am mostly a self taught pianist, I first heard this being played back in 1980 at the age of 10yrs, on the drama series flake trees of thika, and said to my mother and grandparents " one day iam going to play this fantastic piece, at the age of 15yrs I humbly speaking taught myself to play the piano, then In 1988 at the age of 18yrs old I taught myself to play the moonlight sonata, and it has given me pure joy and pleasure playing it ever since, also loved your playing on the fortepiano, greetings from wales 😀 uk

@capezyo 8 ай бұрын

Amazing relation of D. Giovani with the Moonlight

@sharbean 6 ай бұрын

My father never took proper piano lessons but learned to play this piece by heart. He played it with great feeling and sensitivity. It is so precious and meaningful to me.

@georgem8744 6 ай бұрын

The first movement, or all 3? Either way, Respect to him.. As a self taught guitarist myself, it's surprising how far you can go with a little determination 😊

@phillipstrommer4668 6 ай бұрын

Segovia was quoted as saying "haste, slowly!" and "you can break down many barriers with a strong will". Keep up your good work.

@estelleleroux6594 6 ай бұрын

Real talent.

@bobbarclay316 8 ай бұрын

OK, wow. Those dissonant measures are the sound pain makes.

@marjieestivill 8 ай бұрын

This is my favorite comment…

@jasonm456 7 ай бұрын

I quit piano at 12 to play rock n roll on guitar, now at 41 have come back to it and this is one of the first pieces I’ve worked through. Knowing a bit more about composition and theory than I did 30 years ago I really appreciate the brilliance of this piece with the modulation and feel. I never get tired of playing it. My kids do but I tell them it’s good for them… This video gives such great context for how this piece came to be. Thanks for sharing!

@1001100x02 6 ай бұрын

Playing this on a Yamaha Clavinova with headphones was my relief from sciatica. I would literally lose myself in the music to an almost out of body experience, and when I was done, the pain would be gone. As much as Beethoven belongs to the Classical era with Haydn and Mozart, he also ushered in the Romantic era with the two opening chords of the Eroica Symphony.

@HunterBelkiran 8 ай бұрын

One of the most perfect, timeless pieces of piano music ever written.

@larrygraham3377 8 ай бұрын

Wow, this is a brilliant video. I really felt as though I was in the mind of Bethoven as he was composing this wonderful work. Again THANK YOU for explaining this precious work of Ludwig Von Bethoven. 👏👏👏

@kellmeister2k 8 ай бұрын

The fortepiano reminds me of older upright pianos like my grandparents had in their front room. It was a player piano, and I have many happy memories of listening to that piano.

@GARCKY 8 ай бұрын

Fascinating. I'm not a pianist, but was moved to teach myself the first movement of that sonata on the piano so I could experiment with it. Once I had it well under my fingers, I began to explore the melancholy aspects of it, along with the tension between the voices and the ground, and expressed my own response to the music through much the same approach you used in describing it. I never performed it anywhere, since I was an oboist and didn't presume to play the piano in public. One time, though, I was overheard playing it by someone who was an accomplished pianist. Afterwards he said, "That was a most interesting interpretation. It made me think somewhat differently about it." So, I was pleased. Thanks for the explanation as you provided it. I recognize what you are saying.

@teotoniogonsalves1525 8 ай бұрын

The more I listen to Beethoven music; the more I'm struck by why and how other composers must have scratched their heads to take harmony into what we are experiencing now.

@annhorn1190 7 ай бұрын

Great to play and play it to go along with the mood your in at the moment.

@kkampy4052 8 ай бұрын

This piece never fails to move me to tears.

@anzulove7457 6 ай бұрын

I really appreciate videos that break down the history of things so engrained in our culture. That we shouldn't just approach them nonchalant, but try to understand and capture why and how they came to be.

@eichelbergergary 7 ай бұрын

the entire Sonata is brilliant, and as much as the First movement is identified as the core of the work, The Third movement, Presto Agitato, is absolutely epic and exciting beyond description.

@KlingbergWingMkII 6 ай бұрын

First time I heard it I felt I wanted it played at my funeral. Decades later I still feel the same. Perfect piece for an exit from this world.

@JulesUS8386 6 ай бұрын

I absolutely love this writing from Beethoven. I took it to contest when I was 15. Even though the music I learned it from did not have his notes as your copy does, but my heart felt it the way you describe, so I played it with the same feeling. It’s rather sad that he did not approve of the song’s popularity over his newer music. He was a brilliant composer. I think as his hearing became bad, he had a sense of anger and urgency that is heard in his later music. No surprise as his health declined. Love your little dog laying by you as you play❤

@stevemarshall5249 6 ай бұрын

Ah yes, great memories here. I was a teenager in the 1960s, and while my contemporaries were listening to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones etc etc, I was listening to Beethoven! And playing this, and others of his works that were accessible to an amateur with rather short and inflexible fingers. Still have the complete collection of sheet music of all the piano sonatas. Great stuff, thanks.

@freshofftheufo 8 ай бұрын

Somehow even more somber and grating on the fortepiano. What a treat, very powerful stuff, thank you for this!

@themusicprofessor 8 ай бұрын

The fortepiano is a wonderful poetic instrument.

@jordandominy7295 8 ай бұрын

I’m an amateur piano player, and I’ve been playing this piece a lot lately. Your video and performance gives me such a deeper insight to it. I enjoyed it so much. Thanks! 🙏🏻

@christinewoods1589 7 ай бұрын

Picasso said, “Good artists copy; great artists steal.” Beethoven WAS a great artist. He may have stolen ideas from Mozart, but he made them his own. Thanks so much for this post!

@mrkitty777 7 ай бұрын

If Beethooven met Mozart i can only tell that they both might have been poisoned with Aqua Tofana, in script of Mozart it was found in Die Zauberflaute, the magic flute, it explains beethoven getting no more hearing and Mozart's death. It was in the ink used to write notes on paper, the fumes of the ink were poisoned, you can find scientists findin the poison in Mozart writing script 😔😔😔😔

@duffman18 7 ай бұрын

Funnily enough, Picasso was far from the first person to say that. He stole that line, too.

@tjcint 28 күн бұрын

Picasso's 'art' is appalling. Vastly overrated.

@SunDogDeb 7 ай бұрын

As a kid and teen I took 9 years of classical piano. Now at 66 I sort of regret not having been able to continue playing (I'm 66 now, and at the time it just wasn't feasible to get a piano up 3 flights of stairs!) and though I've played this piece so often I can picture the sheet music in my head, I've never heard such a clear explanation of the piece as with this video. I always thought it sounded melancholy, but I was always corrected that it wasn't sad it was beautiful. Glad to know I was right! LOL!

@Supermoneygang12 7 ай бұрын

“Not having been able to continue playing.” No you just gave up lmao nobody put a gun to your head and made you stop

@lynnealarie9733 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for the background history and the influence of Mozart on Beethoven. Why he believed he lived in the shadow of Mozart is beyond me. Beethoven made the darkest music so elegant. I loved hearing you play this on the fortepiano.

@themusicprofessor 7 ай бұрын

Oh - because it was Mozart (particularly his minor key works like the D minor and C minor piano concertos and also the operas and string quartets) that revealed to him how to make "the darkest music elegant" as you so elegantly put it!

@mendyviola 8 ай бұрын

I spent several years studying his quartets as a violist. Been studying piano just shy of 2 years now and this in next on my list for piano.

@eforrest9553 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for this! As a lifelong but lightweight classical music fan, I am fascinated to find out about all of this historical & musical background--I went to listen to the Don Giovanni scene and got pulled into Opera World for quite a while, then came back to listen to the forte piano version you played..it made me late for my job, but made my day! I have subscribed...

@tapunyr8526 7 ай бұрын

How moving to hear what the piece would have sounded like originally. What a beautiful and ethereal sound. The sonata has always moved me to tears but the original sound was on a whole new level. Mesmerising! Thank you x

@themusicprofessor 7 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for this lovely comment.

@angelikafranz4545 7 ай бұрын

Yes, that's what I felt, too!

@sincerelyyours7538 8 ай бұрын

Thank you for this, I found the history of my favorite classical piano piece fascinating. I've been playing it rubato for 40 years and have never until recently heard anyone else play it. That has allowed me to explore the beauty of the piece independently and in effect, make it my own. It easily allows me, still a beginner, to express my feelings without worrying about the proper tempo or the proper loudness and softness of the notes. Without knowing its dirge-like origins I'd often imagined it like a conversation between lovers, each triplet, octave and run being a new point of view expressed or a difference of opinion explored with the shifting triplets and melody indicating those shifting points of view, but it always ended in a final, sad but amicably agreed upon conclusion the way all good conversations between lovers should end. I'm not sure any of that makes any sense, but music, to me, doesn't have to make sense for people to express their emotions in it.

@chrisandersen5635 8 ай бұрын

If you want to hear a rubato version, whether you like it is up to you, listen to Oscar Levant’s version. He does it on the modern piano in I believe, the 1940’s. See what you think.

@movierun 8 ай бұрын

Your comment makes perfect sense to me. All great artistic expression comes from a place of feeling and intuition - not intellect. I even use some subtle rubato with Bach.

@uqpmilne 8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for these KZfaq pieces. I know zero about music theory or practice but Beethoven has always spoken to me like no other Artist. Your commentary (and beautifully expressive piano work) is helping me go even deeper into my appreciation of his legacy contribution to humankind.

@themusicprofessor 8 ай бұрын

Superb. Thank you for your comment.

@richardguittar4908 8 ай бұрын

The written commentary during the playing adds so much. To someone like me it is easy to kind of drift into a beautiful numbness while listening. It is all so beautiful. The commentary keeps me focused on what Beethoven was doing and thinking. Wonderful.

@OctopusContrapunctus 8 ай бұрын

Beethoven Universality and genius was best described by Strawinsky description of the Große Fuge: "an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever". I think this can be applied to most if not all pieces of Beethoven.

@themusicprofessor 8 ай бұрын

Yes. But Stravinsky was (as usual) correct about the GF in particular!

@mendyviola 8 ай бұрын

The Grosse Fugue is also horrendously difficult to play as a string player (violist here).

@themusicprofessor 8 ай бұрын

Yes, but it's worth it!

@SpaceMiner007 7 ай бұрын

My wife and l embedded a love of the classics when we played Mozart on our car's cassette player as we took: "road trips." My son's favorite though is Beethoven's 'Midnight Sonata'.

@katherineg9396 7 ай бұрын

I grew up hearing classical music but when I knew I liked it for myself was when I heard this piece, driving on I 40 on Albuquerque, and I had to pull off the highway because I was just stunned. Thank you for your discussion. I never picked up on the sadness of it so much before. I subscribed.

@daytonlivingston330 8 ай бұрын

Hearing this on a fortepiano gives me chills...especially 21:59 - 22:05 Absolutely in awe.... Modern pianos do not do it justice

@themusicprofessor 8 ай бұрын

Thank you! Great comment.

@CarolynFahm 8 ай бұрын

A new and deeper appreciation of a beloved piece of music. Thank-you so much for sharing your knowledge and your musicianship with us.

@jonathanirvin2201 6 ай бұрын

As usual an absolutely brilliant dissertation, and here on a beautiful, moving, beloved piece from one of music's greatest composers. Thank you, Professor!

@dereksawle 7 ай бұрын

Such an informative synopsis of one of my favourite classical pieces - loved it! Thanks.

@berkeleygang1834 8 ай бұрын

Bravo! You gave me a lot of insight into this masterpiece, for which I'm grateful. I've been studying music theory on and off, and there's so much to learn from the chord structures, and you've done an excellent job explaining them. The historical context is most welcome. I look forward to hearing more, and will be reviewing previous episodes from your channel. Again, Bravo! Keep up the good work!

@richardharrisson5250 8 ай бұрын

What a brilliant and welcome contribution to our understanding of Beethoven piano sonatas! Hope to hear and see more from this scholar and artist. Thank you.

@dawnmitchell11 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for this analysis! I had not heard this piece in this manner before. It brings so much more depth and richness to the piece knowing this information. And the dissonant quarter notes in the top voice have such a different effect when played on the pianoforte.

@NialasDubh 6 ай бұрын

Finally the KZfaq algorithm brings me a channel I need. This video is brilliant and I cannot wait to watch more from you.

@zicomontibeller. 8 ай бұрын

This is the greatest video I've ever seen about this piece and about Beethoven during the time he wrote it, just amazing.

@themusicprofessor 8 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@Makapaa 6 ай бұрын

Oh wow! It's incredible how "powerful" the Moonlight Sonata becomes when played at correct tempo and "original" instrument! While the slower rendition played with (full range of) Pipe Organs and proper resonating environment 'is' almost otherworldly experience, it isn't this. Faster speed and sharper sounds of fortepiano almost make it feel like piece for Military Honours or something! It's comparatively strong, it's beautiful and yet it is classy, elegant and has that delicate softness too! If I were a aristocratic lady hearing this played to me, I'd at least fancy a bit of play with the artist for sure! :P

@colinellicott9737 7 ай бұрын

Wonderful. Thank you. The simplicity of this piece has always surprised me. Also the improvising section hints at what would thrive on another continent - jazz.

@darbl.musica 8 ай бұрын

A great and fresh insight of this well known and beloved piece. Thank you!

@eumaeus 6 ай бұрын

Unlike everyone else commenting here, I am not a musician. I cannot play any instrument, read sheet music nor can I sing. I am the type of person this channel is not intended for, Professor. However, this appeared in my feed and of course, I know of this piece, so I listened from start to end and found that I was so captivated that it felt like 5 minutes, not 25. This was lovely, informative and thoroughly interesting; delivered by someone who is clearly knowledgeable on the subject and also with a delivery style that kept my interest throughout. Thank you. Thank you very much indeed.

@helenjohnson7583 6 ай бұрын

So excellent and enlightening!

@helenjohnson7583 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for playing this piece on the instrument it was written for! And you filled in a lot of knowledge gaps with good information. Excellent presentation!

@themusicprofessor 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much. Lovely comment! This channel exists really for non-musicians so it's wonderful to hear that it works!

@user-om5co3nd8u 8 ай бұрын

How sharply it was noticed about the similarity with "Don Giovanni"! Fabulous!!!

@guscraig 2 ай бұрын

Matthew, I enjoyed your discussion about the piece as much as I enjoy listening to it! And, yes I am one of those people completely obsessed with it. That was just brilliant. Thank you.

@Hellnation13 7 ай бұрын

This is the channel ive been looking for ! Thank you good sir !

@JeffWardMusic 8 ай бұрын

What a great video. Engaging, informative and thoroughly enjoyable. As usual, in fact! Thank you.

@bow_wow_wow 6 ай бұрын

I almost began to cry that was such a beautiful rendition.

@themusicprofessor 6 ай бұрын

Wow. Thank you!

@Hellnation13 7 ай бұрын

You played that at the end so beautifully !

@peterdejong6473 6 ай бұрын

Every time I hear this piece,i hear something new. Yours is a gorgeous rendition. Sumptuous, dramatic, and so much more. Imagine if I could hear your version in high fidelity!

@aidanstrong1061 8 ай бұрын

It's a real shame more people don't perform Beethoven on fortepiano. Absolutely fantastic performance and analysis

@themusicprofessor 8 ай бұрын

Thank you for the encouragement.

@TheTioram 8 ай бұрын

Andrasz Schiff performed Schuberts Impromptus on a Forte Piano. A delight

@graxxor 7 ай бұрын

This has never stirred romantic feelings in me. As a teenager with gothic tendencies I was a fan of Don Giovanni and this tune always seemed to me to be reprising that death rather than any romance. In fact I had no idea it was supposed to be a “love song” until much later. But even then I felt it was more suited to the “death of love” than its initiation. This has always been one of my favorite pieces.

@tj-co9go 6 ай бұрын

I played this piece at my grandfather's funeral. It seemed to suit the athmosphere well

@WhatWillYouFind 6 ай бұрын

The Death of Love. The lamentation of its' end. A love that was fleeting, intense and full of passion. A love strangled by the horrible hands of fate; slowly suffocating, fighting, suffocating, darkness, and then the inevitable silence as the last vestiges of life are released.

@sofiacaldas6280 6 ай бұрын

True historical interpretation highlights so many important aspects in this sonata so loved. Thank you The ways so many pianists play It contemporary even slow are impressive too.

@minorerrors 6 ай бұрын

It's just composed in the Romantic period of music, nothing to do with love specifically, more about intensity in all types of emotion!!

@minorerrors 6 ай бұрын

Well, it's actually composed in the Classical period. Beethoven's kind of ahead of his time

@kp6215 7 ай бұрын

Mozart is the other genius that pains me that he died early 😭. Childhood affects everyone.

@LornaKellyZim 8 ай бұрын

I came across your channel by accident, a really happy one at that, because I learned so much about this piece I have always loved. Expertly presented with such an attractive speaking voice to boot! Thank you!

@adude9882 8 ай бұрын

The lower register on the FP in this piece has suggestive powers which are lost on a modern piano. It is a revelatory acoustic window into those times.

@themusicprofessor 8 ай бұрын

I agree. It's a unique sonority.

@allanlees299 8 ай бұрын

Your elucidations are marvelous and your enthusiasm is contagious (in the best possible way...). Thank you so much.

@themusicprofessor 8 ай бұрын

Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad the contagion is positive!

@andolin 7 ай бұрын

Love it! Please do the other two mvts ASAP!!!

@elisabethloxley6124 6 ай бұрын

Fantastic! Really enjoyed this whole commentary on this movement. Very very interesting. Thank you

@VetsrisAuguste 6 ай бұрын

That was the best 25 minutes and 45 seconds of my day! (It’s 11:00 pm in case you were wondering) Just as I was about to skip ahead to the recording, you invited us viewers to do just that. Something about the timing made me change my mind. I’m so glad I took the time to listen to the entire presentation. I was enthralled with every detail. I always thought the Moonlight Sonata was underrated merely because of its ubiquitousness. The historical context makes the piece all the more compelling. I’m not sure I would have appreciated the full value of your recording if I had not been properly prepared. Thank you so much for sharing. Bravo!

@themusicprofessor 6 ай бұрын

Thank you. Lovely comment!

@sm5970 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for this. I discovers Beethoven and I cannot put him down. I’ve listened to all his symphonies and keep going back to the first, straight to 9 again. Funny thing is I cycle past his apartment often and past Burgtheater where he often played everyday. His sound is so amazing. His notes are so perfect. I get lost in him.

@themusicprofessor 6 ай бұрын

What fun - to cycle in Vienna!

@sm5970 6 ай бұрын

Burgtheater where he played often*. I don’t know why I said “everyday” there. Maybe I’m still traumatised by the fact that I’m working everyday this week. 😂

@adoptgdx651 7 ай бұрын

I could sit and listen to your analysis for hours !! Thank you for sharing. I am looking forward to watching each and everything you share!

@themusicprofessor 7 ай бұрын

Lovely comment. Thank you.

@splabadoobies 6 ай бұрын

You make an excellent case for the Don Giovanni reference as well as your manner of interpretation. Wonderful!

@ericsguitar0 7 ай бұрын

This analysis is truly mind expanding. As an amateur musician I feel so humbled by this piece that I feel some of its despair. The complexity, emotional impact, and structure of this piece are true genius.

@janneyovertheocean9558 8 ай бұрын

What a wonderful presentation, allowing us to be better informed and prepared of this beautifully melodic piece, whether playing or just listening. Beethoven is alive and lives on !!! How fortunate and blessed of all the posterity who came after him into the world, particularly living in the day and age with ready access to all these absolute beauty.

@cbmsysmobile 6 ай бұрын

Most enlightening. Thank you for making this very informative presentation on this piece.

@craigallenphotography 7 ай бұрын

I’m working out a version of this song on guitar and you gave me some great information to draw on. Thanks for a wonderful deep dive on the masterpiece.

@drvee1983 7 ай бұрын

When John Lennon heard Yoko play it on piano, he rearranges the chords for a Beatles tune on Abbey Road. It's called " Because ". Beautiful piece with magnificent harmonies...

@themusicprofessor 7 ай бұрын

Yes, I love 'Because'.

@marlsberlin7716 6 ай бұрын

I always felt it as a very sad, melancholic piece (it never occured to me it was Romantic). Thank you so much for the Fortepiano version. It's an eye opener.

@fingolfen01 7 ай бұрын

I've always loved this piece - played it growing up in piano lessons. Absolutely think your interpretation on the forte piano is spot on.

@jeanbaue8266 7 ай бұрын

As an amateur piano player, I think the reason the Moonlight is so popular is because I find it to be easier to play with the slow harmonic rhythm and the repetitive triple note pattern.

@inlonging 7 ай бұрын

Good point. So many people who say they cannot play can still at least manage the first page without difficulty (I’d say development is trickier to sight read at the least)

@JoelBursztyn 7 ай бұрын

This Video is wonderful, as people already commented, it clarifies a bit the secrets of this magical piece. Short story, I was 16 and I had a friend(Roni) who played this on his steinway Grand Piano. I was not into classic at that age at all. After listening to him playing the Moonlight, I told him and my self, I will buy a piano and I will learn to play this. At the age of 21 I got enough money, bought a Piano, learned the piece (Tackt aft takt) and played it. Afterward I learn to play other thing (Elton John etc..) 25 years later my daughters (Naama & Einat) ask me: daddy can you teach us playing the Piano. I answered you need to know only one piece. "The Moonlight Sonata" both learned it and plays it (the first movement only). My older (Naama have made a tattoo of the first 4 Takt on her hand!! All this story is about the magic and beauty of this piece that is difficult to explain. This video is so important to people who were so impacted by the piece and shed some light on its beauty. Thank you very much. BTW another piece that changed my life is "Air on G string" of Bach. By the way changed also Procol Harum Thanks again Joel Naama & Einat

@mechols56 7 ай бұрын

Beethoven was just an incredible composer. The piece is timeless. Particularly the first movement. ❤❤😮❤

@themusicprofessor 7 ай бұрын

I think the whole sonata is consistently on a high level!

@lolilollolilol7773 6 ай бұрын

And when you get the hang of his last sonatas or his quartets, you'll realize he is even more incredible than you thought. The "last Beethoven", as is commonly referred to, is on an entire other level.

@zi_nyc 6 ай бұрын

I am speechless after this performance, having learned all about this piece from you. I can't thank you enough for this video. ❤

@mistressmozart 4 ай бұрын

loved this video! I never realised the similarities with this movement and Don Giovanni! so fascinating

@interstellar618 8 ай бұрын

Fantastic performance!! Analysis and musings very potent and revealing. Thank you!!

@themusicprofessor 8 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@catkeys6911 8 ай бұрын

Such fascinating insights into this brilliant work! You, sir, are a *wonderful* music professor! I will come back and re-listen to this until I can absorb and retain as much of it as I can in my sieve-like brain.

@themusicprofessor 8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much. Do come back!

@MelTuly 7 ай бұрын

Oh my just stumbled across your channel . This was such an interesting and in-depth analysis. Although I now understand it better . It’s still so incredibly mysterious and otherworldly to me . Thank you so much . New subscriber here !

@ricaflorsalonga566 8 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing on the history of the Sonata and fascinating insights on its development and emotional background. Now I would take these learnings when I attempt to play this piano sonata. ❤

@potsdam521 8 ай бұрын

The idea that Beethoven indicated sensa sordini so the harmonies blend was a breakthrough in my playing, now I raise the pedals in the middle of the chords instead of the beginning of the bar, and the effect is astonishing full of feeling and mistery

@jeffreyjeziorski1480 7 ай бұрын

He indicated "sensa sardini" after having a pizza with anchovies, so he had a real sence of sardines.

@jack4865 8 ай бұрын

excellent video, as always! Gives good insight on (arguably) the most known piece (as you said in the video). Now i'm wondering about his other sonatas, from an analytical perspective, like this one.

@themusicprofessor 8 ай бұрын

Yes, well I'd be happy to do all 32 at some point!

@simondanielssonmusic 8 ай бұрын

Just found your channel in my recommendations. I'm almost mad that I didn't discover your channel sooner. Great content! :)

@vinceturner3863 6 ай бұрын

Superb vide. Many thanks for your explanations and rendition at the end.

@DavidBadilloMusic 8 ай бұрын

24:34 - 24:48 Probably my favorite harmonic progression of that 1st movement in the sonata. Gorgeous!

@ShawnGrove 8 ай бұрын

Mine too

@JOHN-tk6vl 8 ай бұрын

Favourite.

@izzyk867 8 ай бұрын

Thank you for these fascinating insights, communicated in your usual compelling manner.

@themusicprofessor 8 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@music41912 3 ай бұрын

I have just discovered your amazing channel. Thank you so much for creating this wonderful video. It has deepened my understanding of this piece on so many levels. 😊

@themusicprofessor 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!