(!LANG: Characteristic features of Beethoven's musical style. Romantic features in the work of Ludwig van Beethoven. Piano work, interpretation of Beethoven's compositions

Topic: The work of Beethoven.

Plan:

1. Introduction.

2. Early creativity.

3. The heroic beginning in the work of Beethoven.

4. On the slope of life is still an innovator.

5. Symphonic creativity. Ninth Symphony

1. Introduction

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN - German composer, representative of the Viennese classical school. Created a heroic-dramatic type of symphony (3rd "Heroic", 1804, 5th, 1808, 9th, 1823, symphonies; the opera "Fidelio", final version of 1814; overture "Coriolan", 1807, "Egmont", 1810; a number of instrumental ensembles, sonatas, concertos). The complete deafness that befell Beethoven in the middle of his career did not break his will. Later writings are distinguished by a philosophical character. 9 symphonies, 5 concertos for piano and orchestra; 16 string quartets and other ensembles; instrumental sonatas, including 32 for pianoforte (among them the so-called "Pathetic", 1798, "Lunar", 1801, "Appassionata", 1805), 10 for violin and piano; "Solemn Mass" (1823).

2. Early creativity

Beethoven received his primary musical education under the guidance of his father, a chorister in the court chapel of the Elector of Cologne in Bonn. From 1780 he studied with the court organist K. G. Nefe. In less than 12 years, Beethoven successfully replaced Nefe; at the same time his first publication was published (12 variations for clavier on the march by E. K. Dressler). In 1787, Beethoven visited W. A. ​​Mozart in Vienna, who highly appreciated his skill as a pianist-improviser. Beethoven's first stay in the then musical capital of Europe was short-lived (having learned that his mother was dying, he returned to Bonn).

In 1789 he entered the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Bonn, but did not study there for long. In 1792, Beethoven finally moved to Vienna, where he first improved his composition with J. Haydn (with whom he did not have a relationship), then with J. B. Shenk, J. G. Albrechtsberger and A. Salieri. Until 1794, he enjoyed the financial support of the elector, after which he found rich patrons among the Viennese aristocracy.

Beethoven soon became one of the most fashionable salon pianists in Vienna. Beethoven's public debut as a pianist took place in 1795. His first major publications are dated the same year: three piano trios Op. 1 and three piano sonatas Op. 2. According to contemporaries, in Beethoven's playing, stormy temperament and virtuoso brilliance were combined with a richness of imagination and depth of feeling. Not surprisingly, his most profound and original works of this period are for the piano.

Until 1802, Beethoven created 20 piano sonatas, including "Pathétique" (1798) and the so-called "Moonlight" (No. 2 of the two "fantasy sonatas" Op. 27, 1801). In a number of sonatas, Beethoven overcomes the classical three-part scheme, placing an additional part between the slow movement and the finale - a minuet or a scherzo, thereby likening the sonata cycle to a symphonic one. Between 1795 and 1802 the first three piano concertos, the first two symphonies (1800 and 1802), 6 string quartets (Op. 18, 1800), eight sonatas for violin and piano (including the Spring Sonata Op. 24, 1801), 2 sonatas for cello and piano, Op. 5 (1796), Septet for oboe, horn, bassoon and strings Op. 20 (1800), many other chamber ensemble compositions. Beethoven's only ballet The Works of Prometheus (1801) belongs to the same period, one of the themes of which was later used in the finale of the Eroica Symphony and in the monumental piano cycle of 15 variations with fugue (1806). From a young age, Beethoven amazed and delighted his contemporaries with the scale of his ideas, the inexhaustible inventiveness of their implementation and the tireless desire for something new.


3. The heroic beginning in the work of Beethoven.

In the late 1790s, Beethoven began to develop deafness; not later than 1801, he realized that this disease was progressing and threatened with complete hearing loss. In October 1802, while in the village of Heiligenstadt near Vienna, Beethoven sent his two brothers an extremely pessimistic document known as the Heiligenstadt Testament. Soon, however, he managed to overcome the spiritual crisis and returned to creativity. The new - the so-called middle - period of Beethoven's creative biography, the beginning of which is usually attributed to 1803, and the end to 1812, is marked by the strengthening of dramatic and heroic motives in his music. As an epigraph to the entire period, the author's subtitle of the Third Symphony - "Heroic" (1803) could serve; Initially, Beethoven intended to dedicate it to Napoleon Bonaparte, but upon learning that he had declared himself emperor, he abandoned this intention. A heroic, rebellious spirit is also imbued with such works as the Fifth Symphony (1808) with its famous "motif of fate", the opera "Fidelio" on the plot of a captive fighter for justice (first 2 editions 1805-1806, final - 1814), overture "Coriolanus " (1807) and "Egmont" (1810), the first part of the "Kreutzer Sonata" for violin and piano (1803), the piano sonata "Appassionata" (1805), the cycle of 32 variations in C minor for piano (1806).

Beethoven's style of the middle period is characterized by an unprecedented scope and intensity of motivic work, an increased scale of sonata development, bright thematic, dynamic, tempo, and register contrasts. All these features are also inherent in those masterpieces of 1803-12, which are difficult to attribute to the actual "heroic" line. Such are Symphonies Nos. 4 (1806), 6 (“Pastoral”, 1808), 7 and 8 (both 1812), Piano Concertos Nos. 4 and 5 (1806, 1809) Concerto for violin and orchestra (1806), Sonata Op. 53 for pianoforte ("Waldstein Sonata" or "Aurora", 1804), three string quartets Op. 59, dedicated to Count A. Razumovsky, at whose request Beethoven included Russian folk themes (1805-1806) in the first and second of them, Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello Op. 97, dedicated to Beethoven's friend and patron Archduke Rudolf (the so-called "Archduke Trio", 1811).

By the mid-1800s, Beethoven was already universally revered as by far the first composer of his time. In 1808, he gave what was effectively his last concert as a pianist (a later charity performance in 1814 was unsuccessful, since by that time Beethoven was already almost completely deaf). Then he was offered the post of court Kapellmeister in Kassel. Not wanting to allow the departure of the composer, three Viennese aristocrats gave him a high monetary allowance, which, however, soon depreciated due to circumstances related to the Napoleonic wars. Nevertheless, Beethoven remained in Vienna.


4. On the slope of life, still an innovator

In 1813-1815 Beethoven composed little. He experienced a decline in moral and creative forces due to deafness and frustration of matrimonial plans. In addition, in 1815, he was responsible for taking care of his nephew (the son of his late brother), who had a very difficult temper. Be that as it may, in 1815 a new, relatively speaking, late period of the composer's work began. For 11 years, 16 works of a large scale were published from his pen: two sonatas for cello and piano (Op. 102, 1815), five sonatas for piano (1816-22), piano Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli (1823), Solemn Mass ( 1823), Ninth Symphony (1823) and 6 string quartets (1825-1826).

In the music of late Beethoven, such a feature of his former style as the richness of contrasts is preserved and even aggravated. Both in its dramatic and ecstatically jubilant, and in lyrical or prayerful-meditative episodes, this music appeals to the extreme possibilities of human perception and empathy. For Beethoven, the act of composing consisted in a struggle with the inert sound matter, as eloquently evidenced by the hasty and often illegible notes of his drafts; the emotional atmosphere of his later opuses is largely determined by the feeling of painfully overcome opposition.

The late Beethoven takes little account of the conventions accepted in performing practice (a characteristic touch: having learned that violinists complain about technical difficulties in his quartet, Beethoven exclaimed: “What do I care about their violins when inspiration speaks in me!”). He has a particular fondness for extremely high and extremely low instrumental registers (which is undoubtedly due to the narrowing of the spectrum of sounds available to his hearing), for complex, often highly sophisticated polyphonic and variational forms, for expanding the traditional scheme of a four-part instrumental cycle by including it contains additional parts or sections.

One of Beethoven's most daring experiments to renew form is the huge choral finale of the Ninth Symphony to the text of F. Schiller's ode "To Joy". Here, for the first time in the history of music, Beethoven carried out a synthesis of the symphonic and oratorio genres. The Ninth Symphony served as a model for the artists of the era of romanticism, carried away by the utopia of synthetic art, capable of transforming human nature and spiritually uniting the masses of people.

As for the esoteric music of the last sonatas, variations, and especially quartets, it is customary to see in it a foreshadowing of some important principles of the organization of thematics, rhythm, harmony, which were developed in the 20th century. In the Solemn Mass, which Beethoven considered his best creation, the pathos of the universal message and the refined, in places almost chamber writing with elements of stylization in an archaic spirit form a unity unique in its kind.

In the 1820s Beethoven's fame went far beyond Austria and Germany. The solemn mass, written by order received from London, was first performed in St. Petersburg. Although the work of the late Beethoven did not much correspond to the tastes of the contemporary Viennese public, who gave their sympathy to G. Rossini and the lighter forms of chamber music-making, fellow citizens were aware of the true scale of his personality. When Beethoven died, about ten thousand people saw him off on his last journey.

Today we will get acquainted with Piano Sonata No. 14, better known as "Moonlight" or "Moonlight Sonata".

  • Page 1:
  • Introduction. The phenomenon of the popularity of this work
  • Why the sonata was called "Moonlight" (the myth of Beethoven and the "blind girl", the real story of the name)
  • General characteristics of the "Moonlight Sonata" (a brief description of the work with the opportunity to listen to the performance on video)
  • A brief description of each part of the sonata - we comment on the features of all three parts of the work.

Introduction

I welcome everyone who is fond of Beethoven's work! My name is Yuri Vanyan, and I am the editor of the site you are currently on. For more than a year now, I have been publishing detailed, and sometimes small, introductory articles about the most diverse works of the great composer.

However, to my shame, the frequency of publishing new articles on our site has dropped significantly due to my personal employment lately, which I promise to fix in the near future (probably, other authors will have to be included). But I am even more ashamed that so far not a single article has been published on this resource about the "calling card" of Beethoven's work - the famous "Moonlight Sonata". In today's issue, I will finally try to fill this significant gap.

The phenomenon of the popularity of this work

I did not just name the work "visiting card" composer, because for most people, especially for those who are far from classical music, it is with the “Moonlight Sonata” that the name of one of the most influential composers of all time is primarily associated.

The popularity of this piano sonata has reached incredible heights! Even right now, typing this text, I just asked myself for a second: “And what works of Beethoven could outshine Lunar in terms of popularity?” And you know what's the funniest thing? I can not now, in real time, remember at least one such work!

See for yourself - in April 2018, in the search line of the Yandex network alone, the phrase "Beethoven Moonlight Sonata" was mentioned in a variety of declensions more than 35 thousand once. In order for you to roughly understand how big this number is, below I will present the monthly statistics of requests, but for other famous works of the composer (I compared the requests in the format “Beethoven + Title of the work”):

  • Sonata No. 17— 2,392 requests
  • pathetic sonata- almost 6000 requests
  • Appassionata- 1500 requests...
  • Symphony No. 5- about 25,000 requests
  • Symphony No. 9- less than 7000 requests
  • Heroic symphony- a little over 3,000 requests per month

As you can see, the popularity of "Lunar" significantly exceeds the popularity of other equally outstanding works of Beethoven. Only the famous "Fifth Symphony" came closest to the mark of 35,000 requests per month. At the same time, it should be noted that the popularity of the sonata was already at its height. during the composer's lifetime, about which Beethoven himself even complained to his student, Carl Czerny.

Indeed, according to Beethoven, among his creations were much more outstanding works, which I personally agree with. In particular, it remains a mystery to me why, for example, the same "Ninth Symphony" on the Internet is much less interested than the "Moonlight Sonata".

I wonder what data we will get if we compare the above-mentioned frequency of requests with the most famous works others great composers? Let's check, since we've already started:

  • Symphony No. 40 (Mozart)- 30 688 requests,
  • Requiem (Mozart)- 30 253 requests,
  • Hallelujah (Handel)- a little over 1000 requests,
  • Concerto No. 2 (Rachmaninov)- 11 991 requests,
  • Concert No. 1 (Tchaikovsky) - 6 930,
  • Nocturnes by Chopin(the sum of all combined) - 13,383 requests...

As you can see, in the Russian-speaking audience of Yandex, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to find a competitor to Moonlight Sonata. I think the situation is not much different abroad either!

You can talk endlessly about the popularity of Lunar. Therefore, I promise that this release will not be the only one, and from time to time we will supplement the site with new interesting details related to this wonderful work.

Today I will try as concisely as possible (if possible) to tell what I know about the history of the creation of this work, I will try to dispel some myths related to the origin of its name, and I will also share recommendations for beginner pianists who want to play this sonata.

History of the Moonlight Sonata. Juliet Guicciardi

In one of the articles I mentioned a letter from November 16, 1801 year, which Beethoven sent to his old friend - Wegeler(more about this episode of the biography:).

In that same letter, the composer complained to Wegeler about the dubious and unpleasant methods of treatment prescribed to him by the attending physician to prevent hearing loss (I remind you that Beethoven was not completely deaf at that time, but had long ago discovered that he was losing his hearing, and Wegeler, in his turn, was a professional doctor and, moreover, one of the first people to whom the young composer confessed to the development of deafness).

Further, in the same letter, Beethoven talks about "to a sweet and charming girl whom he loves and who loves him" . But then Beethoven makes it clear that this girl is higher than him in social status, which means that he needs "to be active" to be able to marry her.

under the word "act" First of all, I understand Beethoven's desire to overcome developing deafness as quickly as possible and, consequently, to significantly improve his financial situation through more intensive creativity and touring. Thus, it seems to me, the composer was trying to achieve marriage with a girl from an aristocratic family.

After all, even despite the lack of a young composer of any title, fame and money could equalize his chances of marriage with a young countess in comparison with some potential competitor from a noble family (at least that’s how, in my opinion, young composer).

Who is the Moonlight Sonata dedicated to?

The girl mentioned above was a young countess, by name - it was to her that the piano sonata "Opus 27, No. 2", which we now know as "Lunar", was dedicated.

In a nutshell, I'll tell you about biographies this girl, although very little is known about her. So, Countess Juliette Guicciardi was born on November 23, 1782 (and not 1784, as they often mistakenly write) in the town Přemysl(at that time was part of Kingdoms of Galicia and Lodomeria, and now located in Poland) in the family of an Italian count Francesco Giuseppe Guicciardi and Suzanne Guicciardi.

I do not know about the biographical details of this girl's childhood and early youth, but it is known that in 1800 Juliet moved with her family from Trieste, Italy to Vienna. In those days, Beethoven was in close contact with the young Hungarian count Franz Brunswick and his sisters Teresa, Josephine and Carolina(Charlotte).

Beethoven loved this family very much, because, despite the high social status and decent financial condition, the young count and his sisters were not too “spoiled” by the luxury of aristocratic life, but, on the contrary, communicated with the young and far from rich composer absolutely on an equal footing, bypassing any psychological difference in class. And, of course, they all admired the talent of Beethoven, who by that time had already established himself not only as one of the best pianists in Europe, but also quite well-known as a composer.

Moreover, Franz Brunswik and his sisters were fond of music themselves. The young count played the cello quite well, and Beethoven himself taught piano lessons to his older sisters, Teresa and Josephine, and, as far as I know, he did it for free. At the same time, the girls were quite talented pianists - the elder sister, Teresa, especially succeeded in this. Well, with Josephine, the composer will have an affair in a few years, but that's another story.

We will talk about members of the Brunsvik family in separate issues. I have mentioned them here only for the reason that it was through the Brunswick family that the young Countess Juliette Guicciardi met Beethoven, since Juliet's mother, Susanna Guicciardi (Brunswick's maiden name), was the aunt of Franz and his sisters. Well, Juliet, therefore, was their cousin.


In general, having arrived in Vienna, the charming Juliet quickly joined this company. The close relationship of her relatives with Beethoven, their sincere friendship and unconditional recognition of the talent of the young composer in this family somehow contributed to Juliet's acquaintance with Ludwig.

However, I, unfortunately, cannot give the exact date of this acquaintance. Western sources usually write that the composer met the young countess at the end of 1801, but, in my opinion, this is not entirely true. At least I know for sure that in the late spring of 1800 Ludwig spent time at the Brunsvik estate. The bottom line is that Juliet was also in this place at that time, and, therefore, by that time the young people should already have, if not friends, then at least get to know each other. Moreover, already in June, the girl moved to Vienna, and, given her close relationship with Beethoven's friends, I very much doubt that the young people really did not cross paths until 1801.

By the end of 1801, other events relate - most likely, it was at this time that Juliet takes Beethoven's first piano lessons, for which, as you know, the teacher did not take money. Any attempt to pay for music lessons Beethoven took as a personal insult. It is known that once Juliet's mother, Susanna Guicciardi, sent shirts to Ludwig as a gift. Beethoven, perceiving this gift as payment for his daughter's education (perhaps this was the case), wrote a rather emotional letter to his "potential mother-in-law" (January 23, 1802), in which he expressed his indignation and resentment, made it clear that he was engaged with Juliet not at all for the sake of material incentives, and also asked the countess not to commit such acts again, otherwise he "won't show up in their house again" .

As noted by a variety of biographers, Beethoven's new student wouldstrongly attracts him with her beauty, charm and talent (let me remind you that beautiful and talented pianists were one of Beethoven's most pronounced weaknesses). At the same time, withit is read that this sympathy was mutual, and later turned into a fairly strong romance. It is worth noting that Juliet was much younger than Beethoven - at the time of sending the above letter to Wegeler (remember, it was November 16, 1801), she was only seventeen years old without a week. However, apparently, the age difference (Beethoven was then 30) didn’t really bother the girl.

Did Juliet and Ludwig's relationship go as far as a marriage proposal? - Most biographers believe that this really happened, referring mainly to the famous Beethoven scholar - Alexander Wheelock Thayer. I quote the latter (the translation is not exact, but approximate):

A careful analysis and comparison of both published data and personal habits and hints received over several years in Vienna, suggest that Beethoven nevertheless decided to propose to Countess Julia, and that she did not mind, and that one parent agreed to this marriage, but the other parent, probably the father, expressed his refusal.

(A.W. Thayer, Part 1, page 292)

In the quote, I marked the word in red opinion, since Thayer himself emphasized this and emphasized in brackets that this note is not a fact based on competent evidence, but his personal conclusion obtained during the analysis of various data. But the fact is that it is precisely this opinion (which I am by no means trying to dispute) of such an authoritative Beethoven scholar as Thayer that has become the most popular in the writings of other biographers.

Thayer further emphasized that the refusal of the second parent (father) was primarily due to Beethoven's lack of any rank (probably meaning "title") status, permanent position and so on. In principle, if Thayer's assumption is correct, then Juliet's father can be understood! After all, the Guicciardi family, despite the title of count, was far from rich, and the pragmatism of Juliet's father did not allow him to give the beautiful daughter into the hands of an indigent musician, whose constant income at that time was only a philanthropic allowance of 600 florins a year (and that, thanks to Prince Likhnovsky).

One way or another, even if Thayer's assumption was inaccurate (which I doubt, however), and the matter still did not come to a proposal of marriage, then the romance of Ludwig and Juliet was still not destined to go to another level.

If back in the summer of 1801 young people were having a great time in Krompachy * , and in the fall Beethoven sends the same letter where he tells an old friend about his feelings and shares his dream of marriage, then already in 1802 the romantic relationship between the composer and the young countess noticeably fades away (and, first of all, from the side of the girl, because the composer is still was in love with her). * Krompachy is a small town in present-day Slovakia, and at that time was part of Hungary. The Brunsvik Hungarian estate was located there, including the pavilion where Beethoven is believed to have worked on the Moonlight Sonata.

The turning point in these relations was the appearance in them of a third person - the young Count Wenzel Robert Gallenberg (December 28, 1783 - March 13, 1839), an Austrian amateur composer who, despite the absence of any imposing fortune, was able to attract the attention of the young and frivolous Juliet and, thereby, became a competitor to Beethoven, gradually pushing him into the background.

Beethoven will never forgive Juliet for this betrayal. The girl, for whom he was crazy, and for whom he lived, not only preferred another man to him, but also gave preference to Gallenberg as a composer.

For Beethoven, this was a double whammy, because Gallenberg's composing talent was so mediocre that it was openly written about in the Viennese press. And even studying with such a wonderful teacher as Albrechtsberger (whom, let me remind you, Beethoven himself studied earlier), did not contribute to the development of musical thought in Gallenberg.niya, as evidenced by the obvious theft (plagiarism) by the young count of musical techniques from more famous composers.

As a result, around this time the publishing house Giovanni Cappi finally publishes the sonata "Opus 27, No. 2" with a dedication to Giulietta Guicciardi.


It is important to note that Beethoven composed this work quite not for Juliet. Previously, the composer had to dedicate a completely different work to this girl (Rondo in G Major, Opus 51 No. 2), a work much brighter and more cheerful. However, for technical reasons (completely unrelated to the relationship between Juliet and Ludwig), that work had to be dedicated to Princess Lichnowska.

Well, now, when “Juliet’s turn has come” again, this time Beethoven dedicates to the girl not a cheerful work at all (in memory of the happy summer of 1801, spent together in Hungary), but the very “C-sharp-minor” sonata, the first part of which has a pronounced mournful character(yes, it is “mourning”, but not “romantic”, as many people think - we will talk about this in more detail on the second page).

In conclusion, it should be noted that the relationship between Juliet and Count Gallenberg reached a legal marriage, which took place on November 3, 1803, but in the spring of 1806 the couple moved to Italy (more precisely, to Naples), where Gallenberg continued to compose his music and even what for some time he puts on ballets in the theater at the court of Joseph Bonaparte (the elder brother of that same Napoleon, at that time he was the king of Naples, and later became the king of Spain).

In 1821, the famous opera impresario Domenico Barbaia, who directed the aforementioned theater, became the manager of the famous Viennese theater with an unpronounceable name "Kerntnertor"(it was there that the final edition of Beethoven's opera Fidelio was staged, and the premiere of the Ninth Symphony took place) and, apparently, "dragged along" Gallenberg, who got a job in the administration of this theater and became responsible for the music archives, well, from January 1829 (that is, after the death of Beethoven) he himself rented the Kärntnertor-theatre. However, by May of the following year, the contract was terminated due to financial difficulties with Gallenberg.

There is evidence that Juliet, who moved to Vienna with her husband, who had serious financial problems, dared to ask Beethoven for financial help. The latter, surprisingly, helped her with a considerable amount of 500 florins, although he himself was forced to borrow this money from another rich man (I cannot say who exactly it was). Beethoven himself blurted this out in a dialogue with Anton Schindler. Beethoven also noted that Juliet asked him for reconciliation, but he did not forgive her.

Why the sonata was called "Lunar"

With the popularization and final consolidation in German society, the names "Moonlight Sonata" people came up with various myths and romantic stories about the origin of both this name and the work itself.

Unfortunately, even in our smart age of the Internet, these myths can sometimes be interpreted as real sources that answer the questions of certain network users.

Due to the technical and regulatory features of using the network, we cannot filter “incorrect” information from the Internet that misleads readers (probably for the better, because freedom of opinion is an important part of a modern democratic society) and find only “reliable information ". Therefore, we will only try to add to the Internet a little of the same “reliable” information, which, I hope, will help at least a few readers to separate myths from real facts.

The most popular myth about the origin of the Moonlight Sonata (both the work and its title) is the good old anecdote, according to which Beethoven allegedly composed this sonata, being under the impression after playing for a blind girl in a room lit by moonlight.

I will not copy the full text of the story - you can find it on the Internet. I only care about one point, namely, the fear that many people can (and do) perceive this anecdote as the real story of the origin of the sonata!

After all, this seemingly harmless fictional story, popular in the 19th century, never bothered me until I started noticing it on various Internet resources, posted as an illustration supposedly true history origin of the Moonlight Sonata. I also heard rumors that this story is used in the “collection of expositions” in the Russian language school curriculum - which means that, given that such a beautiful legend can easily be imprinted in children's minds, which can take this myth for truth, we simply have to contribute some credibility and note that this story is fictional.

To clarify: I have nothing against this story, which, in my opinion, is very pretty. However, if in the 19th century this anecdote was the subject of only folklore and artistic references (for example, the very first version of this myth is shown in the picture below, where her brother, a shoemaker, was in a room with a composer and a blind girl), now many people consider it a real biographical fact, and I cannot allow this.Therefore, I just want to note that the famous story about Beethoven and the blind girl is cute, but still fictitious.

To verify this, it is enough to study any manual on Beethoven's biography and make sure that the composer composed this sonata at the age of thirty, while in Hungary (probably partly in Vienna), and in the anecdote above, the action takes place in Bonn, a city that the composer finally left at the age of 21, when there was no question of any “Moonlight Sonata” (at that time Beethoven had not yet written even the “first” piano sonata, let alone the “fourteenth”).

How did Beethoven feel about the title?

Another myth associated with the name of the Piano Sonata No. 14 is Beethoven's positive or negative attitude towards the title "Moonlight Sonata".

I explain what I'm talking about: several times, while studying Western forums, I came across discussions where one user asked a question like the following: "How did the composer feel about the name "Moonlight Sonata". At the same time, other participants who answered this question, as a rule were divided into two camps.

  • The participants of the “first” answered that Beethoven did not like this title, in contrast, for example, with the same “Pathetique” sonata.
  • The participants in the "second camp" argued that Beethoven could not relate to the name "Moonlight Sonata" or, moreover, "Moonlight Sonata", since these names originated a few years after death composer in 1832 year (the composer died in 1827). At the same time, they noted that this work, indeed, was quite popular already during Beethoven's lifetime (the composer did not even like it), but it was about the work itself, and not about its name, which could not have been during the composer's lifetime.

From myself, I note that the participants of the "second camp" are closest to the truth, but there is also an important nuance here, which I will tell about in the next paragraph.

Who came up with the name?

The “nuance” mentioned above is the fact that in fact the first connection between the movement of the “first movement” of the sonata and moonlight was nevertheless made during Beethoven’s lifetime, namely in 1823, and not in 1832, as is usually said.

It's about the work "Theodore: a musical study", where at one moment the author of this short story compares the first movement (adagio) of the sonata with the following picture:


Under the "lake" on the screen above, we mean the lake Lucerne(it’s also “Fierwaldstet”, located in Switzerland), but I borrowed the quote itself from Larisa Kirillina (first volume, page 231), which, in turn, refers to Grundman (pages 53-54).

The above description of the Relshtab, of course, gave first prerequisites to the popularization of associations of the first movement of the sonata with lunar landscapes. However, in fairness, it should be noted that these associations did not at first make a significant pickup in society, and, as noted above, during the life of Beethoven, this sonata was still not spoken of as "Moonlight".

Most rapidly, this connection between “adagio” and moonlight began to be fixed in society already in 1852, when the famous music critic suddenly remembered the words of Relshtab Wilhelm von Lenz(who referred to the same associations with “lunar landscapes on the lake”, but, apparently, erroneously named not 1823, but 1832 as a date), after which a new wave of propaganda of Relshtab associations began in the musical society and, as a result, the gradual formation of the now known name.

Already in 1860, Lenz himself uses the term "Moonlight Sonata", after which this name is finally fixed and used both in the press and in folklore, and, as a result, in society.

Brief description of "Moonlight Sonata"

And now, knowing the history of the creation of the work and the emergence of its name, you can finally get acquainted with it briefly. I immediately warn you: we will not conduct a volumetric musical analysis, because I still cannot do it better than professional musicologists, whose detailed analyzes of this work you can find on the Internet (Goldenweiser, Kremlev, Kirillina, Bobrovsky and others).

I will only give you the opportunity to listen to this sonata performed by professional pianists, and along the way I will also give my brief comments and advice for beginner pianists who want to play this sonata. I note that I am not a professional pianist, but I think that I can give a couple of useful tips for beginners.

So, as noted earlier, this sonata was published under the catalog title "Opus 27, No. 2", and among the thirty-two piano sonatas is the "fourteenth". Let me remind you that the “thirteenth” piano sonata (Opus 27, No. 1) was also published under the same opus.

Both of these sonatas are united by a freer form compared to most other classical sonatas, which is openly indicated to us by the composer's author's note "Sonata in the manner of fantasy" on the title pages of both sonatas.

Sonata No. 14 consists of three parts:

  1. slow part "Adagio sostenuto" in C-sharp minor
  2. Calm Allegretto minuet character
  3. Stormy and fast « Presto agitato"

Oddly enough, but, in my opinion, Sonata No. 13 deviates much more from the classical sonata form than "Moonlight". Moreover, even the twelfth sonata (opus 26), where the first movement uses a theme and variations, I consider much more revolutionary in terms of form, although this work was not awarded the mark "in the manner of fantasy."

For clarification, let's recall what we talked about in the issue about "". I quote:

“The formula for the structure of Beethoven's first four-movement sonatas was generally based on the following template:

  • Part 1 - Quick "Allegro";
  • Part 2 - Slow motion;
  • Movement 3 - Minuet or Scherzo;
  • Part 4 - The ending is usually fast."

Now imagine what will happen if we cut off the first part in this template and start, as it were, immediately with the second. In this case, we will have the following three-movement sonata template:

  • Part 1 - Slow motion;
  • Part 2 - Minuet or Scherzo;
  • Part 3 - The final is usually fast.

Doesn't it remind you of anything? As you can see, the form of the Moonlight Sonata is not really that revolutionary, and is essentially very similar to the form of Beethoven's very first sonatas.

It just feels as if Beethoven, while composing this work, simply decided: “Why don’t I start the sonata right away from the second movement?” and turned this idea into reality - it looks exactly like this (at least in my opinion).

Play recordings

Now, finally, I propose to get acquainted with the work closer. To begin with, I recommend listening to "audio recordings" of the performance of Sonata No. 14 by professional pianists.

Part 1(performed by Evgeny Kissin):

Part 2(performed by Wilhelm Kempf):

Part 3(performed by Yenyeo Yando):

Important!

On the next page we will review each part of the Moonlight Sonata, where I will give my comments along the way.

As a composer, it consists in the fact that he raised to the highest degree the ability to express instrumental music while conveying spiritual moods and greatly expanded its forms. Based on the works of Haydn and Mozart in the first period of his work, Beethoven then began to give the instruments their characteristic expressiveness, so much so that they, both independently (especially the piano) and in the orchestra, gained the ability to express the highest ideas and the deepest moods of the human soul. . The difference between Beethoven and Haydn and Mozart, who also brought the language of instruments to a high level of development, lies in the fact that he modified the forms of instrumental music received from them, and added a deep inner content to the impeccable beauty of the form. Under his hands the minuet expands into a meaningful scherzo; the finale, which in most cases was a lively, cheerful and unpretentious part of his predecessors, becomes for him the culminating point in the development of the whole work and often surpasses the first part in the breadth and grandeur of its concept. In contrast to the balance of voices that give Mozart's music the character of dispassionate objectivity, Beethoven often gives precedence to the first voice, which gives his compositions a subjective shade that makes it possible to connect all parts of the composition with a unity of mood and idea. What he in some works, such as, for example, in the Heroic or Pastoral symphonies, marked with appropriate inscriptions, is observed in most of his instrumental compositions: the spiritual moods expressed poetically in them are in close relationship with each other, and therefore these works fully deserve the name of poems.

Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven. Artist J. K. Stieler, 1820

The number of Beethoven's compositions, not counting works without an opus designation, is 138. These include 9 symphonies (the last with a finale for choir and orchestra on Schiller's ode to Joy), 7 concertos, 1 septet, 2 sextets, 3 quintets, 16 strings quartets, 36 piano sonatas, 16 piano sonatas with other instruments, 8 piano trios, 1 opera, 2 cantatas, 1 oratorio, 2 grand masses, several overtures, music for Egmont, Ruins of Athens, etc., and numerous works for the piano and for one- and many-voice singing.

Ludwig van Beethoven. The best works

By their nature, these writings clearly outline three periods with a preparatory period ending in 1795. The first period embraces the years from 1795 to 1803 (until the 29th work). In the compositions of this time, the influence of Haydn and Mozart is still clearly visible, but (especially in the piano works, both in the form of a concerto, and in the sonata and variations), a desire for independence is already noticeable - and not only from the technical side. The second period begins in 1803 and ends in 1816 (up to the 58th work). Here is a brilliant composer in the full and rich flowering of a mature artistic individuality. The works of this period, opening up a whole world of the richest life sensations, at the same time can serve as an example of a wonderful and complete harmony between content and form. The third period includes compositions with a grandiose content, in which, due to Beethoven's renunciation due to complete deafness from the outside world, thoughts become even deeper, become more exciting, often more direct than before, but the unity of thought and form in them turns out to be less perfect and often sacrificed to the subjectivity of mood.

The greatest representative of the Viennese school of the 19th century. Mozart's successor was Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) B.. His performance was less reminiscent of the art of the pianists of the era of the Viennese school. He did not shine with the skill of the “pearl game”. His game produced the effect of elemental force. The piano under his fingers turned into an orchestra.

L. Beethoven and his performing activities.

In the early and middle periods of his life, Beethoven maintained a classically sustained tempo in his performance. Subsequently, he treated the performance of the tempo less strictly. Contemporaries admired the melodiousness of his playing. He was also an improviser. From the art of Beethoven the pianist takes a new beginning in the history of the performance of piano music. The breadth of his artistic concepts, the scope in their embodiment, the fresco manner of sculpting images - all these artistic qualities became characteristic of some subsequent generations of pianists led by Liszt and Rubinstein.

Piano work, interpretation of Beethoven's compositions

At the center of his work is the image of a strong, strong-willed and spiritually rich human personality. The very essence of Beethoven's personality and his music is the spirit of struggle. The composer's interest in the image of fate was caused not only by his illness, which threatened to lead to complete hearing loss. In Beethoven's work, this image acquires a more generalized meaning. He is perceived as the embodiment of elemental forces that become an obstacle to achieving a human goal. Struggle in Beethoven's works is an internal psychological process. His music is full of lyrical images. And also his lyrics opened the way to a new perception of nature. His compositions are characterized by great internal dynamics. And one of the means of dynamization in B. is the metrorhythm. In his music, the rhythmic pulse becomes more intense, further enhancing the emotional intensity of the work. This applies to works of both dramatic and lyrical nature. Using the experience of the virtuosos of his time, he develops a concert piano style.

Martelato

Important from the point of view of the further evolution of concert performance was the development of martellato playing technique. In the field of finger technique, there was the introduction of rich passive passages. In his works, he successfully used the pedal. But the coloring in Beethoven's compositions is achieved not only by pedal effects, but also by the use of orchestral writing techniques. He is a great builder of large form. His piano legacy includes 32 sonatas. He wrote a lot in cyclic sonata form: concertos, symphonies, solo and chamber-ensemble works. Developed techniques for end-to-end development within a dream. form and beyond. A very important role was the saturation of the sonata with song, enriching it with polyphonic colors. There was also a place for the development of programming in his writings. He wrote 5 piano concertos, concert fantasy for piano choir and orchestra. He symphonized the concert genre and brought out the leading role of the soloist.

The legacy of Beethoven's piano music is great:

32 sonatas;

22 variation cycles (among them - "32 variations in c-moll");

bagatelles 1, dances, rondo;

many small essays.

Beethoven was a brilliant virtuoso pianist, improvising on any subject with inexhaustible ingenuity. In Beethoven's concert performances, his powerful, gigantic nature, the enormous emotional power of expression, very quickly revealed themselves. It was no longer the style of a chamber salon, but of a large concert stage, where the musician could reveal not only lyrical, but also monumental, heroic images, to which he passionately gravitated. Soon all this was clearly manifested in his compositions. Moreover, Beethoven's individuality was first revealed precisely in piano compositions. Beethoven began with a modest classical piano style, still largely associated with the art of harpsichord playing, and ended with music for the modern piano.

Innovative techniques of Beethoven's piano style:

    extension to the limit of the range of sound, thereby revealing previously unknown expressive means of extreme registers. Hence - the feeling of a wide air space, achieved by comparing distant registers;

    moving the melody to low registers;

    the use of massive chords, rich texture;

    enrichment of pedal technique.

Among Beethoven's extensive piano heritage, his 32 sonatas stand out. Beethoven's sonata became like a piano symphony. If the symphony for Beethoven was the sphere of monumental ideas and broad "all-human" problems, then in the sonatas the composer recreated the world of inner experiences and feelings of a person. According to B. Asafiev, “Beethoven's sonatas are the whole life of a person. It seems that there are no emotional states that would not find their reflection here in one way or another.

Beethoven refracts his sonatas in the spirit of different genre traditions:

    symphonies ("Appassionata");

    fantasies ("Lunar");

    overture ("Pathetic").

In a number of sonatas, Beethoven overcomes the classical 3-movement scheme, placing an additional movement between the slow movement and the finale - a minuet or a scherzo, thereby likening the sonata to a symphony. Among the late sonatas there are 2-part ones.

Sonata No. 8, "Pathetic" (c- mall, 1798).

The name "Pathetic" was given by Beethoven himself, having very accurately determined the main tone that dominates the music of this work. "Pathetic" - translated from Greek. - passionate, excited, full of pathos. Only two sonatas are known, whose names belong to Beethoven himself: "Pathetique" and "Farewell"(Es-dur, op. 81 a). Among Beethoven's early sonatas (before 1802), Pathetique is the most mature.

Sonata No. 14, "Moonlight" (cis- mall,1801).

The name "Lunar" was given by Beethoven's contemporary poet L. Relshtab (Schubert wrote many songs on his poems), because. the music of this sonata was associated with the silence, the mystery of the moonlit night. Beethoven himself designated it "Sonata quasi una fantasia" (a sonata, as it were, a fantasy), which justified the rearrangement of parts of the cycle:

Part I - Adagio, written in free form;

Part II - Allegretto in a prelude-improvisational manner;

Movement III – Finale, in sonata form.

The originality of the composition of the sonata is due to its poetic intention. A spiritual drama, the transitions of states caused by it - from mournful self-immersion to violent activity.

Part I (cis-moll) is a mournful monologue-reflection. Reminds me of a sublime chorale, a funeral march. Apparently, this sonata captured the mood of tragic loneliness that possessed Beethoven at the time of the collapse of his love for Giulietta Guicciardi.

Often, the second part of the sonata (Des-dur) is associated with her image. Full of graceful motifs, the play of light and shadow, Allegretto differs sharply from the first movement and the finale. According to the definition of F. Liszt, this is "a flower between two abysses."

The finale of the sonata is a storm that sweeps away everything in its path, a raging element of feelings. The finale of the Lunar Sonata anticipates the Appassionata.

Sonata No. 21, "Aurora" (C- dur, 1804).

In this work, a new face of Beethoven is revealed, far from violent passions. Here everything breathes with primordial purity, shines with dazzling light. No wonder she was called "Aurora" (in ancient Roman mythology - the goddess of the morning dawn, the same as Eos in ancient Greek.). "White Sonata" - Romain Rolland calls it. Images of nature appear here in all their splendor.

I part - monumental, corresponds to the idea of ​​a royal picture of the sunrise.

Part II R. Rolland designates as "the state of Beethoven's soul among peaceful fields."

The finale is a delight from the unspeakable beauty of the surrounding world.

Sonata No. 23, "Appassionata" (f- mall, 1805).

The name "Appassionata" (passionate) does not belong to Beethoven, it was invented by the Hamburg publisher Kranz. The fury of feelings, the raging stream of thoughts and passions of truly titanic power, are embodied here in classically clear, perfect forms (passions are restrained by an iron will). R. Rolland defines "Appassionata" as "a fiery stream in a granite rudder." When Beethoven's student, Schindler, asked his teacher about the content of this sonata, Beethoven replied, "Read Shakespeare's The Tempest." But Beethoven has his own interpretation of Shakespeare's work: for him, the titanic combat of man with nature acquires a pronounced social coloring (the struggle against tyranny and violence).

Appassionata is V. Lenin's favorite work: “I don't know anything better than Appassionata, I'm ready to listen to it every day. Amazing, inhuman music. I always proudly, perhaps naively, think: these are the miracles people can do!

The sonata ends tragically, but at the same time the meaning of life is acquired. Appassionata becomes Beethoven's first "optimistic tragedy". The appearance in the code of the finale of a new image (an episode in the rhythm of a ponderous mass dance), which has the meaning of a symbol in Beethoven, creates an unprecedented contrast of hope, a rush to the light and gloomy despair.

One of the characteristic features of the "Appassionata" is its extraordinary dynamism, which expanded its scale to colossal proportions. The growth of the sonata allegro form occurs due to the development that penetrates into all sections of the form, incl. and exposure. The development itself grows to gigantic proportions and without any caesura turns into a reprise. The coda turns into a second development, where the culmination of the whole part is reached.

The sonatas that arose after the Appassionata marked a turning point, marking a turn towards a new, late style of Beethoven, which in many respects anticipated the works of romantic composers of the 19th century.