Ludwig van Beethoven Moonlight Sonata - Essay Example

Ludwig van Beethoven Moonlight Sonata Introduction The “Moonlight Sonata” by Beethoven is among the leading classical music pieces known and played widely across the globe. The composition of this music piece was over 200 years ago. The sonata, just like most sonatas during this classical period, has three main movements. It is the most famous section is the first movement, named adagio sostenuto. This is because there are more than ten times as many recording of this movement as opposed to the entire piece.

Feelings While Playing the Sonata The sonata is a classical piece that is quite melancholic. As such, it sparks great emotions in me every time I play it. The song creates a relaxing feeling considering its sad and calm nature. This makes the moonlight look like a mechanism employed by publishers to sell. For instance, when playing the sonata on the right hand part of it feels like the bass, specifically the fifth finger part. The treble creates a vision for a pond whilst the fifth finger creates ripples upon the surface.

Thematic Comparison There should not be any form of discrepancy in the music in accordance with the counterpoint rules laid out in the classical period. As such, this rule requires that two separate voices not to move in parallel fifths or octaves. This is unless one of the voices acts as a double to the other voice. Therefore, it should be clear that the middle triplet not does not double the bass-line, which is already doubled. This provides that the –c should be played in the place of b.

The First Movement In most cases, the first movement adheres to the form required for the sonata. The explosion provides that the second subject is from an inferior key rather than from a key that is dominant. This is usually the case in a classical sonata form. As such, the key instead sounds in a key that is not even a parallel key, the B minor key. The Second Movement Going forwards, the second movement is apparently a lighthearted exercise as expected in classical harmony. This is unfortunate because the main motif hardly comes out as a good melody.

In addition, the main motif appears repeatedly in the second movement, more than twenty times in the course of about two minutes. The Third Movement The third movement begins with notes that are the same to those in the first movement. As such, this 3rd movement stands out as a fierce fiery presto in the sonata form. The notes that appear in both the 1st and 3rd movements are the c-sharp, g-sharp, e and c-sharp. In addition, Beethoven puts in an additional agitato instruction to this same score.

He also goes further to bring about a transformation to the original three-note motif into two lightning bolts. This modifies the rhythmic pattern in the sonata. As such, the second note has a weaker beat. This keeps the underlying harmonic structure that initially existed almost the same. The Development Section The development section of this musical piece begins with the arpeggios of the first subject being in the same tonic major. However, these gives way in a rather fast manner to cantabile themes that emerge provided by the 2nd subject.

This thereby relocates rather nicely to the left hand side, then goes off as it jumps down and down to reach the pedal point that is long and dominant. This predicts the reprise, similar to the one evident in the first movement. However, this lacks the already diminished seventh chords, which Beethoven saves for later. Works Cited Ludwig van Beethoven with Moonlight Sonata http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6txOvK-