Moonlight Sonata

A sonata movement with no allegro and almost no change of key, Op. 27 No. 2 loosened the Classical sonata's form. The "Moonlight" nickname, added years later by a poet, has obscured how odd it is. The whole movement is one unbroken triplet figure, with a melody buried in the top of the texture and a march-like bass beneath.

Nothing is marked as the tune. You have to find it inside a pattern that never changes, and the pedal must hold the harmony without turning it to mud. The dynamics sit almost entirely at the soft end, which leaves nowhere to hide behind force.

It rewards months of slow work with control that harder music will not give you. Play it for atmosphere alone and it exposes every uneven triplet. A good performance stops the triplets sounding like a figure and lets them become a texture. Few pieces teach listening so strictly.

About this edition

Adagio sostenuto, from Piano Sonata No. 14, Op. 27 No. 2. Typeset by RSB, from IMSLP[1], licensed CC BY 3.0[2]. Cropped and de-skewed for display.

Score source · CC BY 3.0