Learning to play "Moonlight Sonata"

[saltoftheearth]

hello everyone,
this is my first ever post here so i just thought i'd introduce myself. I'm a keen Pianist and Violinist from Yorksire, i love Js and Cpe Bach's works (especially Js's canata's and organ works). I have a passion for beethovens works now too!
I was looking through my every growing library of music scores and countless number of books when i found the music for Beethovens Moonlight Sonata, it has a better name but i don't know when it was given the modern name. And i'm learing to play it,its such an emotional song, apparently Beethoevn wrote it for a young maiden he was trying to woo, but never suceeded, can anyone tell the real story behind it?
Anyway thats enough talk for now,


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Yours truelly, SOTE

[Peter]

Hi and welcome!

Opus 27 Quasi Una Fantasia were composed in 1801 and published in 1802. The first sonata in E flat major was dedicated to Princess Josephine Sophie von Liechtenstein, and the 2nd in C# minor was dedicated to Countess Guiletta Guicciardi.

The critic Ludwig Rellstab coined the name Moonlight as he envisaged a boat gliding across the waters of Lake Lucerne lit by moonlight.



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'Man know thyself'

[Rod]

Originally posted by Peter:
Hi and welcome!

Opus 27 Quasi Una Fantasia were composed in 1801 and published in 1802. The first sonata in E flat major was dedicated to Princess Josephine Sophie von Liechtenstein, and the 2nd in C# minor was dedicated to Countess Guiletta Guicciardi.

The critic Ludwig Rellstab coined the name Moonlight as he envisaged a boat gliding across the waters of Lake Lucerne lit by moonlight.

I don't think the C minor was initially written with Guicciardi in mind for the dedication, I can find out the whole situation.

Regarding the success of B's wooing I'm certain there was a relationship at one point but it did not last, thus to a degree he was successful. Beethoven was still talking fondly of G in his 50's, as can be seen from the conversation books.

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[Rod]

Originally posted by Rod:
I don't think the C minor was initially written with Guicciardi in mind for the dedication, I can find out the whole situation.

Further to the above,in Thayer's Life... page 297 it states that Otto Jahn's notes from his conversations with Countess Guicciardi herself in 1852 make it clear that Beethoven did not have her in mind at the time of the composition.

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin



[This message has been edited by Rod (edited 04-29-2002).]

[Joy]

If Beethoven did not have the Countess in mind why did he dedicate it to her?

[Rod]

Originally posted by Joy:
If Beethoven did not have the Countess in mind why did he dedicate it to her?

It was an afterthough, as is implied in my comments above.

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[jev]

Originally posted by Joy:
If Beethoven did not have the Countess in mind why did he dedicate it to her?

Beethoven had given the authograph of opus 51 #2 to Giulietta, but he asked it back, because he had changed his mind and wanted tot dedicate it to Henriette Lichnowsky, sister of his famous patron. He gave Giulietta the autograph of opus 27 #2 instead.

jev

[Rod]

Originally posted by jev:
Beethoven had given the authograph of opus 51 #2 to Giulietta, but he asked it back, because he had changed his mind and wanted tot dedicate it to Henriette Lichnowsky, sister of his famous patron. He gave Giulietta the autograph of opus 27 #2 instead.

jev

And so another romantic myth is destroyed, though still B's affection for G was great. I think this story was what I was initially recalling above but my memory was dim and i could not find where I had read it to corrobarate the evidence, and instead stumbled across the evidence from Jahn.



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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[chopithoven]

Regarding that Beethoven was proverbially unsuccessful with the women he wanted, is it known if he ever had a sexual debut? (just and historical curiosity)

[Peter]

Originally posted by chopithoven:
Regarding that Beethoven was proverbially unsuccessful with the women he wanted, is it known if he ever had a sexual debut? (just and historical curiosity)

Apparently in his youth he was very successful with women - it does seem though that he fell for women who were unavailable to him owing to the class distinction of the time - I would however be very surprised if Beethoven died a virgin!

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'Man know thyself'

[chopithoven]

Originally posted by Peter:
Apparently in his youth he was very successful with women - it does seem though that he fell for women who were unavailable to him owing to the class distinction of the time - I would however be very surprised if Beethoven died a virgin!

But wasn't he aparted from the society in his youth because of his rough personality? Didn't he have terrible problems with his father who mistreated him so much? It seems difficult for an adolescent with these characteristics to be succesful with women. Or you were refering to a later age than the adolescence talking about his "youth"?

[Peter]

Originally posted by chopithoven:
But wasn't he aparted from the society in his youth because of his rough personality? Didn't he have terrible problems with his father who mistreated him so much? It seems difficult for an adolescent with these characteristics to be succesful with women. Or you were refering to a later age than the adolescence talking about his "youth"?

I'm talking about the normal age a young man becomes interested in girls! Our first knowledge of this comes from his friend Bernhard Romberg - when Beethoven was 15 or 16 he was very much in love with Maria von Westerholt, but she was soon married to Baron Von Beverforde-Werries. According to Wegeler - "Beethoven never was out of love, and usually was much affected by the love he was in at the time ...In Vienna Beethoven, at least so long as I was living there (1794-6), always had some love affair in hand, and on occasion he made conquests which many an Adonis would have found it difficult, if not impossible, to encompass."

In his early years at Vienna, Beethoven was very much part of society, befriended by the aristocracy - it was only with the onset of deafness that he withdrew from society.


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'Man know thyself'

[This message has been edited by Peter (edited 07-05-2002).]

[PDG]

Originally posted by Peter:


The critic Ludwig Rellstab coined the name Moonlight as he envisaged a boat gliding across the waters of Lake Lucerne lit by moonlight.

True, but years after B's death.

[/b][/QUOTE]



[This message has been edited by PDG (edited 07-08-2002).]

[PDG]

Originally posted by chopithoven:
Regarding that Beethoven was proverbially unsuccessful with the women he wanted, is it known if he ever had a sexual debut? (just and historical curiosity)

Er.....don't we all??!!

[~Immortal Beloved~]

Originally posted by Joy:
If Beethoven did not have the Countess in mind why did he dedicate it to her?

Good question Joy!



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freedom for all- Ludwig Van Beethoven