The Origin of Beethoven's Moonlight Music

Moonlight Song (Piano SonataNo. 14 in C sharp minor ("Moonlight"))

Originally known as Piano Sonata in C minor, also known as Moonlight Sonata, it was written in 180 1, which is close to the maturity of Beethoven's creation.

This work has three movements:

The first movement-adagio for two/two degrees in C minor, trilogy (piano sonata. 14(Mondschein-sonate)- 1。 Adagio Sostenuto).

The emotional expression of this movement is extremely rich, with meditation tenderness, sad singing and dark premonition. Although the accompaniment, theme and intensity have not changed much, it still shows the fluctuation of the author's heartstrings delicately through the changes of harmony, range and rhythm. This sonata contains Beethoven's original ideas. Its fantastic improvisation and the way to explore piano sounds have predicted Debussy Impressionism about 100 years later. The theme it is based on is simple: at the beginning of the music, endless fantasy is constructed by the triplet flowing out continuously, and after four festivals, the first theme looms in the alto. It is meticulous and quiet, slightly melancholy. 1 paragraph 1 minute 18 seconds, and the second theme appeared in B major. The middle part starts with the first theme. The triplet twists and turns to the high-pitched area, showing impatience. Then in the third paragraph, the first theme reappears calmly, and the second theme reappears in C minor, and then continues to play the finale of the basic motivation of bass, slowly disappearing and ending.

The second movement-Allegro, D flat major, 3/4 time, trilogy (piano sonata NR. 14 (Mondschein-sonate)-2。 Allegro)

This movement is relatively short, and Liszt described it as "a flower between two abyss". It perfectly connects the meditation of the first movement with the tension of the third movement with a completely different expression of light. The first paragraph is the theme of legato and staccato, and then the variation repetition. The middle part is also kept in D flat major. 2 paragraphs 1 min 13 seconds to reproduce the first paragraph. This action seems to be a warm smile left in an instant.

The third movement-Allegro for Excitement, in C minor, in 4/4 beat, sonata form (Piano Sonata No.1). 14 (Mondschein-sonate)-3。 Suddenly excited).

Although it is closely related to the first movement in tonality, it expresses completely different feelings. The first theme is the uncontrollable boiling and agitation of enthusiasm, like fierce rage and jumping again and again. The second theme is like a heartfelt complaint. It is near the end of the continuous eighth note, with firm rhythm, showing warm feelings and strong will. After a brief expansion, the inner excitement is even stronger. At the end, the boiling enthusiasm reached its peak and suddenly fell silent, but the surging mood did not subside. Beethoven once said that the two sonatas of his work No.27 are like fantasia. He instructed that there should be no pause between the movements of Moonlight Sonata, and that it would gradually unfold from the beginning movement to the intricate final movement in a suggestive way, thus providing a sense of climax. Beethoven's sonatas in this period are full of tentative practice, and he tries to re-evaluate the main creative principles of sonata form. Generally speaking, if we want to follow the traditional mode, sonata form often appears in only one movement, but usually in the first movement, but Beethoven broke this mode. Moonlight sonata is one of the works that classical music school began to transform into romantic music school.

This piano piece is called Moonlight Music because the German poet Ludwig Lairstadberg said, "After listening to the first movement of this piece, I think of Lake Lucerne in Switzerland and the bright moonlight rippling on the lake." Later, according to this passage, the publisher added the title of "Song of the Moonlight", and all kinds of legends about composers improvising in the moonlight became popular. In fact, it was not the bright moonlight that touched Beethoven's creation, but the painful mood of Beethoven and Juliet Gitchati (1784- 1856) after their first love failed.

Juliet Gitchati is the earl's daughter, 14 years younger than Beethoven. They really love each other, and the gap in family status forced them to break up. After suffering this heavy blow, Beethoven poured all the inner pain and strong indignation caused by the feudal hierarchy into this passionate piano music. So, this song is dedicated to her. On 1 1 month 16 this year, Beethoven mentioned her when he wrote to Wegele, saying, "She loves me and I love her." But by the beginning of 1802, she had fallen in love with Count Hallenborg and was forced to marry him by her family in 1803. Romain rolland linked this song with Beethoven's lovelorn love, saying, "Fantasy didn't last long, and the pain and indignation in sonata has surpassed love." Roland interprets the first movement as melancholy, whining and crying. Russian musician Ole Biyishev (1794- 1858) thinks that the first movement is "deep sorrow" of lovelorn, just like "hanging fire". However, 180 1 was the time when Beethoven and Gitchati fell in love. It may not be true to say that this work is about the pain of lovelorn love.

Perhaps Stasov (1824- 1906), a Russian art critic, is more reasonable in explaining this work. Recalling listening to Liszt's performance in Petersburg, he thought the sonata was a complete tragedy. The first movement was a state of mind full of tenderness and sometimes dark premonition. He had a similar impression when listening to anton rubinstein's performance: "... from a distance, as if from the depths of an invisible soul, a silent voice suddenly rose. Some voices are melancholy and full of infinite sadness; Have a plenty of meditation, with endless memories and gloomy omen ... "

The article "Moonlight Song", the tenth lesson of the fifth grade textbook in China, is a touching "story" fabricated by the publishing house with the title of "Moonlight Song".

Original text:

One autumn, Beethoven traveled and performed everywhere and came to a small town on the Rhine. One night, he was walking along a quiet path and heard the intermittent piano sound coming from a small room, playing his music.

Beethoven approached the hut, the piano suddenly stopped and someone was talking in the room. A girl said, "How difficult it is to play this song! I've only heard others play it several times, but I don't remember how to play it. If only I could listen to how Beethoven played himself! " A man said, "Yes, but the tickets for the concert are too expensive. We are too poor." The girl said, "Don't be sad, brother, I'm just saying."

Hearing this, Beethoven gently pushed open the door and came in. A candle was lit in the hut. In the dim candlelight, men are making leather shoes. There is an old piano in front of the window, and a girl of sixteen or seventeen is sitting in front of it. Her face is handsome, but she is blind.

Seeing a stranger come in, the shoemaker stood up and asked, "Who are you looking for, sir?" ? Wrong door, right? "Beethoven said," no, I'm here to play a tune for this girl. "

The girl quickly stood up and offered her seat. Beethoven sat in front of the piano and played the tune that the blind girl had just played. The blind girl listened to God's words, and when the music ended, she said excitedly, "How skillfully you play! How deep the feelings are! You, you are Mr. Beethoven? "

Beethoven didn't answer. He asked the blind girl, "Do you like listening? Let me play another song for you. "

A gust of wind blew out the candle. The moonlight shone through the window, and everything in the hut seemed to be covered with silver gauze, which made it very quiet. Beethoven looked at the poor brothers and sisters standing beside him and pressed the keys in the quiet moonlight.

The shoemaker listened quietly. He seems to face the sea, and the moonlight rises from where the water meets the sky. On the surface of the microwave, the silver light scattered instantly. The moon rose higher and higher, passing through a wisp of gauze-like Wei Yun. Suddenly, a strong wind blew on the sea and rolled up huge waves. The waves glistened in the moonlight and came to the shore one after another ... The shoemaker looked at his sister. The moonlight shone on her quiet face and her eyes opened wide. She seemed to see something she had never seen before, the rough sea in the moonlight.

Brother and sister were intoxicated by the wonderful piano sound. When they woke up, Beethoven had left the hut. He flew back to the inn and spent the whole night recording the music he had just played-Moonlight Song.

Appreciate:

At the beginning, it only tells one thing, and at the same time shows Beethoven's carefree mood, which makes him read in a peaceful tone; The second half describes a beautiful artistic conception and the imagination of two brothers and sisters. The scene changes from static to dynamic, and the tone and speed of speech naturally change greatly. To put it in a concrete way, "a gust of wind blew out the candle, and the moonlight shone into the window. Everything in the hut seemed to be covered with silver gauze, which made it extraordinarily quiet." Beethoven looked at the poor brothers and sisters standing beside him and pressed the keys in the quiet moonlight. " These words show hazy beauty. Imagine that the mood of the characters at that time should be very peaceful. When reading aloud, the voice is soft, the speech speed is slightly slower, and the tone changes little. Suddenly, a strong wind blew on the sea and rolled up huge waves. The waves brightly illuminated by the moonlight rushed to the shore one by one ... "Suddenly accelerated, the tone fluctuated greatly, highlighting the choppy appearance on the sea, and" she seemed to see something she had never seen before, the choppy sea in the moonlight. "The speed of speech slowed down again, especially after Moonlight Shining. The speed of "Rough Waves" is slow, but every word is extremely powerful to show the feelings of brothers and sisters intoxicated in music.

Today, many people still equate this beautiful and moving legend with the fact itself. In fact, according to music historians, Beethoven never had such an experience. His Piano Sonata No.14 in C minor was named Moonlight, because Lyle Stabber, a music critic, thought that the beginning of this piece was reminiscent of the moonlight on Lake Lucerne. The shrewd publisher invented a touching story entitled "Moonlight Song".

In fact, Beethoven wrote this work in 180 1 year. At that time, his deafness became more and more serious, and the pain of lovelorn had not been calmed down. He wrote this piano sonata with pain.

So in the first movement, the theme of that sigh melted his melancholy thoughts. Someone once explained this movement with the help of imagination, saying, "The first movement is like the rise of the moon, full of hope, but it is covered by clouds, and all the shadows are gone, which makes people sad."

The second movement is Allegro. As a transitional movement, music tends to be soft and warm, like recalling the sweet dreams of the past and looking forward to the blueprint of the future. The two musical themes in the movement seem to soothe the injured soul. The soothing transition concert makes people feel calm on a moonlit night. However, this quiet like the bright moon is only a short rest in Beethoven's turbulent heart.

The third movement came like a flood, and Beethoven jumped on the rushing black and white keys like a lion. If the second movement is like Liszt's comment: "It is a small flower in two cliffs", then the last movement is the flood that washed down from the cliff. The excited allegro speed makes the notes like a storm, melting into anger, complaint and struggle. The bumpy fate gave Beethoven not a sigh and submission, but a struggle and struggle. This movement has two distinct themes. The former consists of staccato chords of sixteenth notes. As far as the impact of phrases is concerned, it shows great power; The latter has a beautiful melody and timbre, and is full of longing and hope for faith. The interweaving, contrast, development or reappearance of the two themes make the composer's mood as rough as the sea, and it is difficult to stop.

This sonata is Beethoven's early work, which was the period when the ancient piano developed and changed to the modern piano. Because the first movement of this piece of music uses the sustain pedal that the ancient piano can't do, this piece of music is the first one that is only suitable for piano playing.