Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata Piano Sonata no. 14, c sharp minor - Op. 27 no 2

Background of the Moonlight Sonata

The original title of the sonata is “Quasi una fantasia” (It. almost a fantasy). The popular title of Moonlight Sonata actually didn’t come about until several years after Beethoven’s death. In 1836, German music critic, Ludwig Rellstab wrote that the sonata reminded him of the reflected moonlight off Lake Lucerne. Since then, Moonlight Sonata has remained the “official” unofficial title of the sonata.

Beethoven composed the famous Moonlight Sonata in 1801 and dedicated it to Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, a pupil of Beethoven. Shortly after their first few lessons, the two fell in love. After dedicating the Moonlight Sonata, it is believed that Beethoven proposed to her. Although she was willing to accept Beethoven’s proposal, forbiddance by one of her parents prevented her from marrying him.

Notes on the Moonlight Sonata

The Moonlight Sonata is divided into three separate parts.

• Adagio sostenuto
• Allegreto
• Presto agitato

The First Movement
The first movement of the Moonlight Sonata is easily the most well known. The famous mysterious, almost haunting melody is dark and whisper like. The form of the first movement is a sort of “condensed” sonata. In other words, it plays the main melody, develops it, and then plays it again very similar to how it was originally played.

The Second Movement
The second movement of the Moonlight Sonata is in the form of a scherzo (a comic composition, usually fast-moving and used in the place of a minuet and trio during Beethoven’s time). The key of the second movement is D flat major, which is unrelated to the overall key of c# minor.

The Third Movement
The third movement is completely different from the previous two movements. Its rapid progressions from note to note are invigorating and powerful. The third movement of the Moonlight Sonata is actually marked piano, but Beethoven’s use of sforzandos and fortissimos make the piece actually sound as if the overall dynamic was fortissimo.

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Top 10 Classical Works You Know, but You Don't Know You can sing it, but you can't name it!

As all forms of mass media continue to expand, many movies, television programs, and commercials are continually including classical music in their soundtracks. And as people are becoming more and more familiar with classical music, naturally, their desire to seek and find a particular work increases. However, the problem is that many people don't know the name or composer of the piece. My solution (although small and could never cover the vast amounts of classical music) is to provide you with a list of the top requested and inquired about classical works I receive on a continual basis. Here are ten classical music works you know, but you don't know.

No. 1: O Fortuna from Carmina Burana, by Carl Orff

• By far the most inquired about classical work, O Fortuna is played in hundreds of movies, television programs, commercials, and other forms of media. Many who have heard this famous piece can hum the melody and often describe it as haunting, foreboding, and big. O Fortuna is the opening movement to Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, a work for large orchestra, choir, and solo vocalists.
• Hear O Fortuna in the movies Cheaper by the Dozen, Natural Born Killers, and The Bachelor.

No. 2: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp minor, by Franz Liszt

• When I heard this piece for what I thought was the first time, I was surprised by how familiar it was. After listening to it several more times, it suddenly hit me… I heard it in a Bugs Bunny cartoon 15 years ago (Rhapsody Rabbit, 1946). He was performing the piece in front of a large audience amongst many distractions. I don’t think cartoons are made like that anymore.
• Hear Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp minor in the movies Delirious, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Shine.

No. 3: Sous le dôme épais (Flower Duet) from Lakme, by Delibes

• Already well known, Delibes’s Flower Duet was made ever-increasingly popular by British Airway’s use of the work in a fairly recent advertising campaign. This classic piece features a duet between a coloratura soprano and and a mezzo-soprano.
• Hear Delibes’s Flower Duet in the movies The American President, Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, and Meet the Parents.

No. 4: Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin

• Almost anyone can recognize Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Like, Orff's O Fortuna, Rhapsody in Blue is featured in many movies and television shows. Some consider it strictly jazz while others say it's classical, when in all actuality, it's a perfect combination of both. Here's an interesting fact, when Gershwin was commissioned to write the piece, he wrote it so speedily he didn't have time to compose the part for piano. At its first performance, Gershwin improvised the piano part. Later, it was finally composed.
• Hear Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue in the movies Fantasia 2000 and Manhattan.

No. 5: Dies Irae from Verdi’s Requiem

• A great “power” song, people all over the world, even those who dislike classical music, appreciate this work. Verdi’s Dies Irae is arguably the most well known and recognizable movement of the work. Although, many classical music lovers can tell you the name and composer of the piece, the great majority of the world cannot. Its heart pounding rhythms and driving melodies are truly awe inspiring.
• Hear Verdi’s Dies Irae in the movies Battle Royale and Water Drops on Burning Rocks.

No. 6: Dies Irae from Mozart’s Requiem

• Although drastically different from Verdi’s, Mozart’s Dies Irae does not lack in intensity and ferociousness. Composed in 1791, this was the last work written by Mozart. The Requiem is a very popular piece, not only due to its beauty, but also for its mystery. There are many myths surrounding the exact details on how the Requiem was completed. Mozart died before the work was finished; it was Süssmayr who actually completed the work.
• Hear Mozart’s Dies Irae in the movies X-Men 2, Duplex, and The Incredibles DVD – Jack-Jack Attacks.

No. 7: Nessun Dorma from Turandot, by Puccini

Nessun Dorma, a deliriously beautiful aria, is known by millions of people, but if you ask them to sing it, they can’t. Why? Because many of them don’t put the name with the song. Nessun Dorma became a household tune, possibly due to the huge success and marketability of the three tenors (Jose Carreras, Luciano Pavarotti, and Placido Domingo), as well as being played in many movie soundtracks.

Hear Puccini’s Nessun Dorma in the movies Chasing Liberty, Man on Fire, and Bend in like Bekham.

No. 8: Movement 2 from Symphony No. 7, Beethoven

The second movement, or Funeral March, of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 is an extremely memorable piece. Its ethereal melodic line, repeated throughout the movement’s entirety, gives its listeners chills as it progresses. This movement is the most popular of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. Completed in 1812, it has been enchanting audiences ever since.

Hear Movement 2 of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in the movies Mr. Hollands Opus, Immortal Beloved, and Cowards Bend the Knee.

No. 9: Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre, by Wagner

• Featured in cartoons and movies, and everything in between, children and adults alike are very familiar with this piece. To many, Ride of the Valkyries represents the stereotypical large opera female festooned with braids, horned helmet, and metal breastplate with spear in hand. Although a wonderful piece, Ride of the Valkyries loses some of its magic among all this pop culture.
• Hear Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries in the movies Apocalypse Now, The Blues Brothers, and Full Metal Jacket.

No. 10: Peer Gynt Suite No.1, 'Morning', by Grieg

• Synonomous with the rising sun, Grieg’s 'Morning' from Suite No. 1 is known by one and all. Children become familiar with this piece early on, as it is played in many cartoons. Unfortunately, the song titles of songs played are not credited in the ending credits, and even if they were, would kids even notice? I doubt it.
• Hear Grieg’s 'Morning' from Suite No. 1 in the movies Raising Cain and Soylent Green.

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Music Events During the Classical Period 1750 to 1820

The music of the Classical period, which spans from 1750 to 1820, is characterized by simpler melodies and forms such as the sonatas. The piano was undoubtedly the primary instrument used by composers during this period. Here's a timeline of important events in music history which happened during the 1750s all the way to 1820.

1750 - Johann Sebastian Bach died. Also, in chamber music, the string quartet (consists of 2 violins, viola and cello) was popular. In New York, John Gay's "The Beggar's Opera" was performed.

1751 - In Europe, the minuet was a popular dance.

1752 - The composer and piano prodigy, Muzio Clementi was born.

1753 - Italian composer and violinist, Giovanni Viotti, was born.

1756 - The Austrian composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was born.

1757 - The Italian composers Niccolo Pasquali and Domenico Scarlatti passed away. Johann Stamitz, a German composer also died.

1759 - Baroque composer George Frederic Handel passed away.

1761 - Franz Joseph Haydn, important figure in Classical music history, worked as Kapellmeister for Prince Pál Antal Esterházy. Haydn was instrumental in establishing the symphony and string quartet.

1762 - Benjamin Franklin improved the glass harmonica. In Charleston, South Carolina, a musical group called St. Cecilia Society was founded. Now aged 6, music prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart toured Europe. Also, "Orfeo ed Euridice" by Christoph Willibald Gluck was created.

1764 - Johann Christian Bach performed in London. Also, Mozart wrote his first symphony.

1767 - German composer Georg Philipp Telemann passed away. CPE Bach succeeded him as director of church music in Hamburg.

1769 - Junipero Sérra led a group of Franciscan friars on a mission to teach Native Americans polyphony and plainsong.

1770 - German composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born. Also, the New England Psalm Singer, the first collection of music composed in America, was published by William Billings. In New York, Handel's "Messiah," was first performed. Meanwhile Johann Christian Bach published his "6 Concerti for pianoforte," Op. 7.

1773 - In Vienna the waltz was popular.

1776 - La Scala, a major opera venue was built in Milan. Also, a book on the history of music was published by Charles Burney.

1778 - Ludwig van Beethiven was presented by his father as a music prodigy. Also, La Scala opened.

1780 - Sebastiano Carezo invented the Spanish dance called "bolero."

1781 - The great classical musician, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, moved to Vienna where he created some of his most popular works.

1782 - Johann Christian Bach passed away. Also, Italian composer and violinist Niccolo Paganini was born.

1784 - Wilhelm Freidemann Bach passed away.

1786 - In Vienna, Mozart's " The Marraige of Figaro," premiered. Also, German composer Carl Maria von Weber was born.

1787 - Mozart's father, Leopold, passed away. In Prague, Mozart's "Don Giovanni," premiered.

1788 - CPE Bach passed away.

1790 - In Vienna, Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte," premiered.

1791 - Austrian composer, Carl Czerny, and German composer, Giacomo Meyerbeer, were born. In Vienna, Mozart's "Magic Flute," was first performed. Mozart also passed away on the same year. Also, Haydn's first London Symphonies was performed.

1792 - Haydn becomes Beethoven's teacher. Also, Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini was born.

1793 - Niccolo Paganini debuted as a violin virtuoso at age 11.

1795 - The Paris Conservatory of Music was founded.

1797 - Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti and Austrian composer Franz Schubert were born.

1801 - Beethoven's "Symphony #1 in C Major" was first performed in Vienna.

1803 - The master of orchestration, Louis-Hector Berlioz, was born.

1809 - Felix Mendelssohn, one of the most prolific composers of the Romantic period, was born.

1810 - On this year, two great Romantic composers were born; Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin and Robert Schumann

1811 - The figurehead of the New German school and the piano virtuoso Franz Liszt was born.

1813 - The German Composer Richard Wagner was born. That same year, Giuseppe Verdi, another composer of opera music, was born. Another major event happened on this year, E.T.A. Hoffmann proposed his idea of "the artist as spiritual hero" which became an important theme during the Romantic period.

1818 - The French composer, Charles Gounod, was born.

1819 - Clara Wieck Schumann, the foremost female composer of the 19th century, was born.

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