Program v.
Absolute: Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata
Molly Secord, MUS 303: Music History · Dr. Carolyn Guzski, Music Department
Abstract
My project explores the opening movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s (1770-1827) Piano
Sonata in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 (1801), more famously known as his “Moonlight”
Sonata. The primary research focus is an exploration of interpretative differences between
“absolute” and “program” music, reinforced by my own primary score analysis. My discussion
compares the rhythmic ostinato used by Beethoven with Mozart’s similar figure in “Ah!
Soccorso” from the opera Don Giovanni(1787). Beethoven named his work “Sonata quasi una
Fantasia,” which translates to “Sonata in a matter of a fantasy.” That piece of information leads
us to believe that the pathbreaking composer was referring to the freedom of form beginning to
emerge in absolute musical genres at the inception of the Romantic era. I also use historical
and theoretical sources to achieve my project goal: contributing to an understanding of the
possibilities of absolute music, and Beethoven’s transformative power, at the end of the
Classical era through his most influential and frequently performed piano work.
Introduction
Beethoven was one of the best composers of all time. Beethoven did come from a family of
musicians; however, he was by far the most accomplished in his family. Douglas Johnson wrote
“The composer's grandfather, Ludwig(Louis) van Beethoven, the son of enterprising burgher of
Mechelen, was a trained musician with a fine bass voice”(Johnson, 2001.) Beethoven's father was
tenor and played piano. Beethoven studied at the University of Bonn. Beethoven lived from
1770-1827. This piece was composed in 1801 which would have made him 31 years old when he
composed this piano sonata. Beethoven wrote this piece the same year he started to lose his
hearing. Gary O’Shea writes: “In Beethoven, a sense of anguish and fate surfaces in the middle –
and late-period works, almost always resolves, reflecting the composer's determination to carry on
living for the love of his art, despite his soul-destroying deafness.” Beethoven was experienced in
writing the music genre of piano sonatas. Beethoven's main instrument was the piano so he a lot of
experience in this genre of music. Beethoven was heavily influenced by Mozart. Beethoven did take
lessons with Haydn as well (Johnson 2001: 1; O’Shea 2015, 51-52).
Beethoven
Christian Horneman, Portrait of Beethoven (1803)
Source: ARTStor, www.artsor.org.
This is a portrait of young Beethoven at the age of
thirty-two. This photo is from 2 years after
Beethoven composed the famous Moonlight
Sonata. By this point in Beethoven life he had lost
a significant amount of his hearing.
Analytical Overview
The first movement of Beethoven’s piano sonata is labeled Adagio sostenuto. Adagio sostenuto means slow and
sustained. The first movement also does not have many dynamic markings. There are only a total of 4 dynamic
markings throughout this movement and every single one is labeled pianissimo. William Behrend writes, “its delicate
tone is characterized by the frequent p and pp” (Behrend, 1978). There are few crescendos, but it does not expand
much past that. This is interesting because this is unusually nuanced and rather a monochromatic dynamic scheme
which perhaps inspired the ”moonlight appellation”.
There is a continuous triplet pattern that is used throughout the entire movement. This is rhythmic ostinato which
are repeated triplets but may have altered pitches. These triplets give the piece a rolling feeling almost like they
could be swaying back and forth. The triplets used in this composition were inspired from Mozart's Don Giovanni.
The formal structure of this movement follows Classical Sonata-Allegro procedure ; exposition(first subject, second
subject) development, recapitulation, then coda. Johnson writes, “As personal affliction – deafness, and the inability
to enter into happy personal relationships – loomed larger, he began to compose in an increasingly individual music
style.” (Johnson 2001, 1)
Musical Examples
Example 1: Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata in C# minor (“Quasi una fantasia”) Op. 27, I, mm. 1-3
(Beethoven 1801, 1).
Beethoven steadily uses triplet patterns throughout the entire first movement. Beethoven's rhythmic ostinato was
inspired by Mozart's triplets in Don Giovanni (below). This rhythmic ostinato, a repeated rhythmic pattern where
pitches may remain the same. (Beethoven 1801, 1).
Example 2: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, “Ah! Soccorso”, Don Giovanni, K. 527, Act I, mm. 173-177 (Mozart
1880, 28).
The voice line is performed by the Commendatore, who is being killed during this scene. The Commendatore was
killed in duel by Don Giovanni when he was stabbed by a sword. This scene is very dark and eerie, and the triplets
enhance the mood that is being set during this scene. These triplets (shown in red) can be compared to the triplets
found in Beethoven's composition.
Program v. Absolute
There has been controversy on what exactly this piece represents. There is no proof that
Beethoven ever intended for this composition to be referred to as ”Moonlight Sonata.”
However, Beethoven’s Piano Sonata has continued to be referred to as “Moonlight Sonata.”
This name was devised by Ludwig Rellstab. He concluded that this piece sounded like
moonlight shining on Lake Lucerne. People agreed and started to call it Moonlight Sonata. If
this was the case, this piece would be considered as Program music--that is, used to depict an
image or deeper meaning. Program music typically is used to tell a story. Behrend stated “like
its sister sonata in C sharp minor, this one begins with a movement (Andante) which is not in
the traditional form, and which, even in the description-quasi una fantasia-is a peculiarly
constructed piece” (Behrend 1978, 63).
Beethoven gave this piece a different name: “Sonata quasi una fantasia”, which translates to
“Sonata almost like a fantasy.” Fantasy is also another genre which tends to be more
improvisational. “ This refers to freedom of form in absolute music and not imagined
programmatic content as others did. Beethoven was influenced to write this piece when he saw
Mozart's death scene in Act I of Don Giovanni. The piece that he was inspired by is called “Ah,
Soccorso!”. In this scene Don Giovanni stabs the commendatore who is Donna Anna’s father.
The similarities of the pieces are shown in the musical examples. There have also been
suspicions that a woman named Giulietta Guicciardi. Giulietta is a women with whom
Beethoven was in love with. This may be an important to take into consideration due to the
dreamy mood of movement I. If that is was the case this piece would be deemed as program
music. However with the musical examples and research drawn it would easy to conclude that
this piece is in fact absolute music.
Visual Perspective
Ralph Albert Blakelock, Moonlight Sonata, (c. 1847-1919), Oil on canvas,
Museum of Fine Arts.
Source: ARTStor, www.artsor.org.
This is a painting of Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. Poet Ludwig Rellstab
initiated the idea of Beethoven's sonata portraying moonlight shining on Lake
Lucerne.
References
.
Behrend, William. Ludwig van Beethoven’s Pianoforte Sonatas. New York: AMS Press, 1978.
Beethoven Ludwig van, Piano Sonata in C# minor op. 27 no. 2 (“Quasi una fantasia”) Leipzig: Breitkopf und Hartel, 1862. www.imslp.org
Johnson, Douglas, Scott G. Burnham, William Drabkin, Joseph Kerman, and Alan Tyson. "Beethoven, Ludwig van."
Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 20 Feb. 2020.
O'Shea, Gary. "'A Permanent Influence': Beethoven's Impact on Prokofiev's Piano Writing." The Musical Times 156
(2015): 49-62
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Don Giovanni K. 527 Leipzig: Breitkopf und Hartel, 1880. www.ismlp.org
O'Shea, Gary. "'A Permanent Influence': Beethoven's Impact on Prokofiev's Piano Writing." The Musical Times 156
(2015): 49-62.