The Truth About The Moonlight Sonata

[@raymondhopkins506]

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]

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

[@RWBHere]

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]

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]

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]

Same especially if I listen during pollen season

[@Kurtlane]

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.

[@jpdj2715]

Also, in Van Beethoven's [1] time, the tuning was (a) not standardised and (b) generally lower than today's 440Hz for the piano's central A. Not a lot lower but enough to sound like a different key. If you play it pianissimo as per Van Beethoven's instruction then even on a Steinway D the decay of each note is short enough to not create a terrible sonic mess (listen to Schiff's version). [1] The family name is actually Flemish-Dutch, not "German", and the "van" (Van if not preceded by initials) is an integral part of his family name. In Dutch it works differently than in German where "von" only gets used in nobility's family names (where the Gerries would never leave it away, culturally, or they would rob a nobleman from his ancestry - as in "Von Weber"). Leaving the "van" away is about the same as calling a Johnsson "John" instead. many things get lost in translation. Frédéric Chopin's father was a teacher of French to the Polish aristocracy and upper classes. He immersed himself in the Polish culture completely. Now "Chopin" is not a French family name to me and I always wondered, in my more Northern country than France, whence the name. Then a few months ago, I saw a huge truck-trailer combination passing by in my neck of the woods. The side of the trailer carried a large advertisement, romantically depicting bakery products. The name? "Chaud pain" (warm bread) and that sounds exactly like Chopin. If Van Beethoven had fully assimilated into the German culture of his time, then he had dropped the "van" maybe. But he didn't. He integrated. The warm bread had me laughing out loud, by the way.

[@spacebender]

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.

[@zerotense]

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.

[@JakeWelsh-g3i]

​@teresagardiner153 that is not what is said. It is about the very small fragment that is forgettable for the most of us.

[@suecox2308]

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]

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

[@richardgurney1844]

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]

Define "romantic".

[@psychonaut689]

Consoling his pain.

[@sugarfree1894]

@@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.

[@sharbean]

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.

[@AkiraGuitar777]

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]

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

[@estelleleroux6594]

Real talent.

[@Todd1356]

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.

[@Hedgeaboutme]

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.

[@robinhillyard6187]

Whoever said you played it too fast was not a (true) musician!

[@jasonm456]

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!

[@deepg7084]

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]

Good writing.

[@mariaashot5648]

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]

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

[@eumaeus]

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]

So excellent and enlightening!

[@helenjohnson7583]

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]

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

[@GARCKY]

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]

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]

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

[@ClulssCrs3310]

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.

[@larrygraham3377]

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. 👏👏👏

[@JulesUS8386]

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❤

[@capezyo]

Amazing relation of D. Giovani with the Moonlight

[@Grizzlox]

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.

[@1tubax]

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.

[@stevemarshall5249]

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]

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

[@themusicprofessor]

The fortepiano is a wonderful poetic instrument.

[@eforrest9553]

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...

[@lynnealarie9733]

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]

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!

[@uqpmilne]

Thank you so much for these KZbin 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]

Superb. Thank you for your comment.

[@jordandominy7295]

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! 🙏🏻

[@richardguittar4908]

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.

[@katherineg9396]

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.

[@aguywithanopinion8912]

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.

[@ClulssCrs3310]

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

[@antoniocarlosgomesfernedag1637]

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

[@JLMABIO]

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

[@sonicsatsuma1256]

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]

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

[@bradhuskers]

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

[@jeffreyjeziorski1480]

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

[@michaelmoore7975]

@@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]

​@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

[@nathandeleau5100]

The Moonlight Sonata is what got me into learning piano. When I was about 14 I heard it on a video game and thought to myself i’m gonna learn that piece someday. And I finally did ❤️

[@Jonaythan]

Resident Evil? First place I'd heard it as a kid.

[@gustavctresselt6192]

I was lucky to be a child visiting my grandmother and grandfather who had a concert piano. When the adults were out, I used to get up on the bench on my own and press one key at a time and just listen to the dusty, lasting reverberation of each key fading out in its own massive "space". The Moonlight Sonata always struck me as capturing that aspect of the piano so well. Many piano pieces use the piano as a chord-spitting machine and dont take their time to "meditate" on the inherent timbre and nature of the piano, the eternal, melancholic and "wooden" qualities of it. The piece is brilliant, and I like the word "poem" for it. Thanks for a great video.

[@VetsrisAuguste]

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]

Thank you. Lovely comment!

[@sm5970]

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]

What fun - to cycle in Vienna!

[@sm5970]

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. 😂

[@eichelbergergary]

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.

[@sincerelyyours7538]

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]

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]

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.

[@JoelBursztyn]

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

[@colinellicott9737]

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.

[@tapunyr8526]

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]

Thank you so much for this lovely comment.

[@angelikafranz4545]

Yes, that's what I felt, too!

[@daytonlivingston330]

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

[@themusicprofessor]

Thank you! Great comment.

[@KlingbergWingMkII]

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.

[@mvdk5042]

This might be simple but I'm always amazed by people who can play piano and talk at the same time. Perhaps it comes with being more experienced. I'm at best a hobbyist and for the life of me I absolutely cannot talk and play at the same time. People often try to talk to me while I'm playing, usually asking me a question, and I either have to be rude and stop playing or be rude and ignore them.

[@kkampy4052]

This piece never fails to move me to tears.

[@zoeliu6072]

Yes, yes, yes🎉❤ yes

[@jg5861]

Composer and music teacher here (composition, music history, keyboard improvisation). Great video and extremely sensible presentation of all points. All the best and a great holiday period for you! - Pedro Almeida from Portugal.

[@themusicprofessor]

Thank you. Feliz Natal!

[@darb.musica]

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

[@Hellnation13]

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

[@HunterBelkiran]

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

[@funnyman0789]

200 years later and people are still eager to learn this masterpiece. It’s truly timeless

[@CarolynFahm]

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

[@zicomontibeller.]

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

[@themusicprofessor]

Thank you!

[@kellmeister2k]

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.

[@bobbarclay316]

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

[@marjieestivill]

This is my favorite comment…

[@jasonbrendlinger6071]

I appreciate the historical context. It really expands on a piece to know where it came from both personally from the artist and of the time. Thank you. Now you all can call me a tonedeaf heathen if you like, but I prefer the slow, quiet modern interpretation. It's hauntingly beautiful to me. It breathes like a winter's night. It's resonates with me like a melancholy beautiful dream. It just resonates so much for me. That's my subjective opinion. Music speaks like a universal language. The notes tell their own stories to each of us.

[@TruthSurge]

12:13 uh, that's just the minor 6 chord in the minor key where that chord b4 it (the major chord) is the one that's altered to be major so that changes the key. Example: key = A minor. A minor is the root chord, E maj or E7 is the ALTERED 5 chord cuz in A minor, the 5 chord is E MINOR. So the natural 6 chord in A minor is F major (what you called Neopoliton) but it's not a simple raising of all the notes. It's MOVING from the sudden key of A major (implied by the E major 5 chord) back to A minor via the 6th chord (F major). Just how I see it. Interesting vid! I know zilch about the song or its context. Interesting to hear the comparison of that Mozart section.

[@bazingacurta2567]

You're explanation is confusing as hell, especially because we're in F and not in A. I don't get why you chose to talk about an unrelated key, but whatever. You're basically right.

[@TruthSurge]

@@bazingacurta2567 I wrote Example: key = A minor so that I could INSTANTIATE an example IN THE KEY OF A minor to make it easy for a reader to see some actual NOTES instead of just interval names like 5th and 4th and maj 3rd etc. That is all. I am not concerned about the actual key. It's irrelevant to the relationships between the chords. ty

[@Robotron-wd9em]

The neapolitan 6th is actually way simpler than that in an era before tonality where the third of the 5 chord didn't need to be raised in cadences there were modes, the neapolitan chord is the resoult of one of those modes nowdays called the neapolitan minor scale which has a bII and and a #7, the neapolitan 6th was often used in the IV-V-I cadence so it needed to be in first inverision as an example: key= Am (I) Bb/D (N6, neapolitan, IV b3 b6) Am/E (I64) E (V). In your explaination you are in a minor and you say that the neapolitan 6 is the minor 6 of the chord which isn't totaly correct because assuming that we have as a tonal center Am the nepolitan would be the bII so Bbmaj, saying that the natural 6 (Fmaj) is the neapolitan makes sense only if you are modulating to E minor in that case the natural 6 functions as a pivit chord neapolitan in the new key, the fact is that this thing can be done with every major chord so in Am also CMaj could be the neapolotan of Bm and Gmajor could be the neapolitan of F#minor, in most cases the neapolitan is used as a normal predominant not functioning as a pivit between two tonal centers.

[@berkeleygang1834]

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!

[@yinsound]

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.

[@SpaceMiner007]

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'.

[@NialasDubh]

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

[@richardharrisson5250]

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.

[@angelbass2975]

I always see the growth and death of a rose. Mortality is what I see. Stunning and captivating. Relaxing and yet so unsettling and beautiful. Thank you for this.

[@ИгорьИгорь-с3ю]

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

[@guscraig]

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.

[@allanlees299]

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

[@themusicprofessor]

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

[@MelTuly]

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 !

[@janneyovertheocean9558]

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.

[@terryfick2890]

such a good and complete and in depth commentary, such a learning on my end, and such a perfect english and description with regard to individual chords and notes, I feel them 100%

[@Siansonea]

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

[@douglasmccannpiano]

Because. Beatles great variation

[@kenpeters9807]

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

[@Siansonea]

@@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]

@@Siansonea I think Ken is being facetious.

[@spoffspoffington]

At bit posh . I quay

[@rayjennings3637]

One of the pieces I chose to play for my Grade 5 Piano Exam was the First Movement. I just love those dissonant 'C's, there's real angst behind them. One may wince at them but it's not the note as it reaches ones ear that causes the reaction, it's the hidden scream that tears one up inside. I could almost picture Edvard Munch hearing them and proceeding to set those two notes down on canvas in his famous painting 'The Scream'!

[@kjamison5951]

This has always had a profound effect on me. It has an otherworldly quality to it. It is fascinating to learn so much more about this piece. Thank you. Liked and subscribed!

[@kenpeters9807]

This is an outstanding video. My instructor, who is retired and whom I am most privileged to have as my instructor, is well known in professional circles, here (US) and abroad. He was telling me all about how Beethoven intended this to be played. I began researching his comments and stumbled across this video of yours. This pulls it all together. Thank you.

[@marlsberlin7716]

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.

[@katiemeloan7897]

Thanks so much for this, Professor. I really enjoyed the backstories of this piece, and I want to say how beautiful and well behaved your sweet doggy is!

[@Makapaa]

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

[@DavidFBird]

Beethoven: "Why should a melody need more than one note? Now, onto the second movement of my seventh symphony..."

[@bow_wow_wow]

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

[@themusicprofessor]

Wow. Thank you!

[@spidLL]

I have no idea how I ended up on this video but I’m hooked!

[@mendyviola]

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.

[@adoptgdx651]

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]

Lovely comment. Thank you.

[@JeffWardMusic]

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

[@infledermaus]

That is a fantastic detailed explanation of a beautiful piece of music! Thank you so much for posting! Makes l me realize how little I know about music theory! Arggg!

[@aidanstrong1061]

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

[@themusicprofessor]

Thank you for the encouragement.

[@TheTioram]

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

[@ant7936]

Excellent discussion. Investigating this sonata's origin in Mozart's opera and the funeral march theme, was fascinating. THANKS.

[@Bethos1247-Arne]

I learnt much more about this sonata than I was prepared to.

[@JumboDubby]

Absolutely brilliant rundown of this classic hit. Thank you.

[@SunDogDeb]

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]

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

[@jamescole1786]

9/11/23: ..not a piano player..but much enjoyed yur video 2day, Motzart Sonatas..especially>> your computer software enhancing/highlighting the group of notes - in blue - one bar at a time..but also emphasizing certain other instructions (while remaining in blue color) with a red 'dot' &/or a green 'dot' ! This use of multiple colors, section - by - section, is just great! Much appreciate all the time taken to produce this video & carefully edit for multiple colors superimposed layer - on - layer for clear understanding of each strike on the key board. Great stuff!💪😊

[@interstellar618]

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

[@themusicprofessor]

Thank you!

[@jameshannan367]

Excellent and illuminating discussion. The piece seems to be an expression of profound, haunting grief. 3rd movement is my favorite though. Yes it’s tough but can be learned by amateurs like me with lots of practice.

[@catkeys6911]

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]

Thank you so much. Do come back!

[@ellenyager9577]

Lord, how I wish you had been around 50 years ago when I began studying this! This has been a total epiphany for me! It makes me want to go dig out my OLD copy of this sonata and re-study it! Many thanks for your scholarship and talent!

[@izzyk867]

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

[@themusicprofessor]

Thank you!

[@groundhog141]

Thank you for this fascinating presentation. Fabulous

[@graxxor]

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]

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

[@WhatWillYouFind]

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]

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]

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]

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

[@Hellnation13]

You played that at the end so beautifully !

[@dvldog_]

there's always been something in the back of my mind that thought that this movement wasn't meant to have as "positive" a spin to it as it is usually presented, if that makes sense... I actually think that it is even more profound and intriguing when viewed as a ghostly, ethereal piece instead of more "romantic".... amazing video!

[@johndavidhenderson3640]

Great informative video. Love how You understand the true speed, feel and motion of "Moonlight" . My parents in 1981, I was 13, bought me a double album record "Beethoven's Greatest Hits" 1981. Amazing vinyl. Philippe Entremont plays the Sonata exactly in Your playing. I find so many Pianist play the piece way to fast and not getting the blend feel you pointed out. Plus they rush the last 3 notes/chords...which I always enjoyed the slow timing ended. Entremont does it so well. Hope you have heard it or check it out. Your channel is excellent glad to have run into it. Take care, JD

[@themusicprofessor]

Thank you. Entremont was a terrific pianist.

[@christinewoods1589]

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]

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]

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

[@tjcint]

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

[@gcapeletti]

​​@@tjcint No, he's not overrated. And even if he were, you wouldn't be the judge of that. A SS ho le

[@dereksawle]

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

[@jack4865]

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]

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

[@jr2kewl]

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

[@DavidBadilloMusic]

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

[@ShawnGrove]

Mine too

[@JOHN-tk6vl]

Favourite.

[@LornaKellyZim]

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!

[@adroharv9213]

it's not surprising this sonata was praised more than his others because by it's nature of it being memorable in a way others aren't. Complexity doesn't mean a more enjoyable or memorable piece. When I listen to a lot of Beethoven, I am impressed more than I am captivated by his sound. I do believe his understanding for music was perhaps not always of a level that it stood uniquely an entity or essence, possibly because he saw complexity of work over this. I feel he may have been led astray a little in his pursuit of this such would have been his unending appetite to be the best given his circumstance, and because of his direction meant he approached it a little blindsided. He undoubtedly achieved the highest level of himself but I think he would have changed direction had the idea of substance been as much an importance as his ability write so startingly complex work. The Moonlight Sonata is beautiful whereas a lot of his work can be once you understand why it should be and that's arguably not a beautiful thing for many Moonlight Sonata for me is by far the most wonderful thing he ever did although it's interesting he lifted quite a lot from another work. Heart felt in the playing of it too thanks

[@brad42948]

Thank you; as a guitarist I found this a fascinating interpretation.