Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven: An Analysis 

I've always listened to the first movement as a song of despair. The loss of his family, hearing, and his rough childhood. I thought of it as something related to his trauma. Rest in peace Beethoven, you're an inspiration.

This man kissed me once after I played for him when I was about 10 or so. It was a while ago so I cannot remember if this actually happened or not

Allysia, As a music teacher of 26 years, I had to respond to the "rant" in this video. NEVER be ashamed or feel the need to apologize for your emotional responses to the arts. Being nearly 60 years old, I have seen and experienced a great deal of insanity and irrationality in the world. When I see someone as you who, as a young (relatively) person, has a passion such as yours, I remember there is still hope for the world. The arts bring sanity and peace to my life and I too, have found myself being moved to tears by music. Thank you for being willing to allow everyone to see who you are and thank you for your dedication to teaching us your passion (as well as your piano abilities!) Congratulations on your recent nuptuals - I will celebrate 33 yrs. with my blessed wife this August! Keep up the great work!

The first movement of Moonlight sonata always has such emotional power over me. Every time I hear it I feel hope and the urge to cry at the same time. I enjoy the other movements, but they don't do as much for me.

Part 1: Intermediate Part 2: Advanced Part 3 : Impossible

You are right. Once you start learning this piece you can get closer to Beethoven genius. It’s mesmerizing. We lack of words to describe what this music makes us feel.

i just finished learning the first mvmt, harder than i thought it would be

the first movement is more like a poem, the second is like a calm dance, and the last is like an action scene. i love this piece. thanks for sharing your knowledge of it to us.

I definitely agree about the first movement. I never saw it as romantic, but more eerie/sad. Second movement reminds me of an elf. Third movement is hard to describe. Good rage piece. I found it really interesting that Chopin used the cadenza in his Fantasy Impromptu. If you check out Paul Barton's tutorial on that piece, he demonstrates.

It's one of the most beautiful melodies ever written (but of course reflecting a very depressive mood...) Beethoven was a genius 💘💖💝💘💗

This video helped me in two ways. 1) I understood what Moonlight Sonata is about. 2) I never understood the use of enharmonic until today! Thanks!!

The first movement was the first thing I ever learned on piano. I’ve been playing for two years now. Now I can play pop and rock songs by ear or even play along with those I’ve never heard. I’ve learned to improvise with different rhythms and and styles. At this stage in my piano journey. I’ve made 3 complete songs exceeding four minutes in length. 2 of them are memorized. 1 is an improvisation so no two recordings are the same. This song is significant to me and will always have a special place in my heart. *hears the faint sound of Beethoven shouting from his grave that he’s done better*

Your comments at 7:00 regarding witnessing genius up close in the comfort of your own home really hit home for me! I bought a Dover collection of Beethoven's string quartets for $5 at a library book sale a few months back and every time I open that book I feel so fortunate for having the ability to be transported back in time into that man's mind...

Beathoven has inspired me to get into playing the piano again, and it is just amazed me how he put so much emotion into an song. I’m sorry I’m not very good at explaining but it really just inspires me.

The way he was able to create sound in complex & technical ways to speak to us on a deeper plane.

I am playing the third movement for an exam very soon! So happy you made this video!!!

I had memorized the first two movements of the Moonlight Sonata in my early twenties and started the third over fifty years ago before having any lessons. Had really enjoyed playing the Pathetique Sonata. Decided to get more serious and lessons were required. My first was with a concert pianist but things happened and transferred to the professor of piano at a major university in Indiana. Began to be a real student of Liszt shortly after and my first performance was Un Sospiro which was my selection for a major piano competition, which I did not place due to a few technical mistakes.. Liebestraum followed. Up to that point it all ended (military, family, job, etc) and so......now in my seventies and bought a piano two years ago and having fun! BTW: even at this age have added Liszt's Consolations to my new learning experiences.

I cannot agree more! Hearing you speak of your revelation upon discovering how to play this was EXACTLY how I felt yesterday! I was all emotional and teary eyed and full of joy and appreciation for how absolutely beautiful and amazing this piece is. Thank you for breaking this down! Amazing!

I am not a student in college . I am a lover of music . I have never heard music explained like this before ! I love Lead Zep & Psy Trance ! I could learn off you all day !! P.S I am 60

I'm playing the 3rd movement for my final exam! This was very helpful, thank you :)

This is the only piece that makes me want to play the piano (I play violin though😊). The 1st movement is so eeriely beautiful. The 2nd movement is a smooth transition. And the third movement is BOMB!!

Wait, a rant can be positive and uplifting? In RU-vid?! Now that blows my mind. :)

I almost thought this was going to turn into “I love cats” thing, though this would surly be worthy. You surprised me and I throughly enjoyed! Thank you

I have been afflicted with diarrhea for weeks and I listen to this movt and it helps

I love this video and you channel. I love listening to musicians talk about, analyze, and describe music they are passionate about. I am new to piano and classical music, but I have been playing traditional Arabic music for 8 years. They are different in many ways. Arabic music is melodic and heterophonic with heavy emphasis on ornamentation, embellishment, and improvisation. So it would be a challenge for me to play multiple lines of music at the same time. Challenging, but exciting!

I have to write an essay about this piece and this video was really helpful, Thank You!

This was my first big piece as a teen (movement 1) and i felt and remember the feeling of accomplishment as i became more proficient. I would love an in depth on 3rd movement sometime...so good!

I recently bought a piano. Am learning Moonlight Sonata now. I am experiencing the same thing as expressed in her “rant”. Tho I’m very familiar with the piece, learning it has giving me insight into its genius. I’ve had to stop many times because I was so blown away and had to catch my breath.

There's a very good reason this piece is still so famous hundreds of years later.

when I hear the section with the diminished arps, I can't help but feeling that Beethoven was thinking about all his broken dreams. I learned this piece some years ago but it was before I knew much of anything about Beethoven. But after I have read several biographies about him, this work is 10 times more powerful now. You can't play classical music without knowing about the composer, and the more you know about them, the better....otherwise you are really a half-baked musician.

This sonata is my favorite piece of art. To me it's man's best achievement. Especially the 1st movement. Nothing less. I cry just hearing about it!

I love playing the moonlight sonata, I remember the excitement when playing the first movement back in 1988 when I was 18yrs old, and when it sounded flowing and not mechanical as it was before, and then completing the whole of the first movement, I also love playing the 2nd movement minuet and trio, I love the lilting sound of this 2nd movement, my next challenge is now to learn the 3rd movement, I've done a bit of it, and it's humbly speaking sounding better than before, so determined to play this as well, thank you for this very helpfull video, greetings from wales uk.

Beethoven kissed me when I listened to all of his symphonies 🥰

Lennon's " Because ", uses these chords in reverse. Him and Yoko were heavily into this.

Ican play the whole sonata... and its very exciting.... everytime I start playing 1st move and finish 3rs movement... I try to feel how Beethoven probably did it... thanks for uploading =)

Great exposition! Thank you so much, you've helped me fall even more in love with a work I already cherish. pm

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!! I'm learning the 3rd movement and also - immediately subbed! :D I also really like how Valentina plays it. :)

It's refreshing to hear someone else think similarly about the lackluster 2nd mov't. A "palate-cleanser" is the perfect description for it. I swear I hear fleeting inspirational elements of Liszt and Chopin in the 3rd mov't.

Vermeer's "The Girl with the Pearl Earring" is known as the Mona Lisa of the North as well... Amazing analysis of one of the true Masterpieces'

Love this song so much. I just started learning the piano, and whenever i hear this song, especially the 3rd movement, it makes me really want to go get better at the piano, so i can one day play it!

Why are we so fascinated by the moon ? I came here from listening to you talk about Debussy and his Clair de Lune and here we are with Moonlight Sonata. BTW, have you heard TOMITA's version of C.deLune? He used synthesizers and the result is amazing. All he ever did was take classical music and synthesize it. Took it to another dimension. Listen to it.

From the title I was hoping it was going to be more of a breakdown of the theory and musical features that make up the pieces, but this was an interesting video nonetheless!

Very informative. Working on all 3 movements of this and the pathetique, maybe a year or 18 months from mastering both, already been on it for close to 20 years now. But only had a good teacher for about 3 years, so much greater progress now. Also have rewritten/embellished the slow movement to pick up the pace a tad and really bring out the beautiful harmonic subtleties in the bass and brilliant voicings, would love to get your critique some day. I love your vids, you really know your stuff and bring love and life to the works, I mean the "songs", gosh it's just a descriptive term, I knew what you meant.

I loved your playing the most, many, many thanks.

Of course Valentina Lisitsa would play the 3rd movement exceptionally! She is just super amazing with speed and dexterity! I love her and am gonna watch right now! ❤

In the first movement beethoven plays all of the twelve notes and makes it all sound so beautiful, everything fits so perfectly. Is this typical in classical music.

completely understand about how you get completely awed by a work of art. Other people just shrug. Why? Schopenhauer explains it really, really well: 'You cannot see in someone else what is lacking in yourself.' We will never be geniuses like the classical masters, but we know it when we hear it. That's a little consolation ;) For me it's better because Beethoven actually signed his name in Italian, as 'Luigi Van Beethoven'. There's something for people who think Luigi is a name found in videogames :)

my 3rd favorite Beethoven piano sonata.... gives me chills!

I actually really enjoy the second movement

Congrats! Great explanation! I'm studying it right now (it's been a couple of weeks of struggles and finger pain - hahaha - yeah, I'm an adult piano student and sometimes progress is "kinda" slow hahaha I'm very happy though, cause I'm already learning the last page of the first movement!)... Anyways... Thanks for the video! (btw, I'm writing from Brazil!)

Wow. I love this piece of music. I am not a music "geek" but love how you broke this down.

Just a few nights ago I wrote a rather extensive post about my non technical interpretation of the emotional structure of the sonata. It ties together the three movements based upon some of the points you mentioned. Specifically it focuses on the minuet and what it's actually accomplishing to bridge the two halves.

beautiful rant, I've always felt the same (crying in museums, feeling an intimate connection when learning a piece and getting to personally witness genius) but never known how to put it :D

I always think of the first movement as a sad song but I’m learning to play it right now as a beginner and can only use my right hand for most of it. Once I quit playing with the left and only use the right it starts to sound more sweet and cheerful.

THERE SHOULD BE MORE MUSICAL ILLUSTRATIONS.

I have just returned to playing the piano at the end of january this year after an 11 years completly off. I am very happy I was able to learn moonlight sonata 1st movement in a few months it is very beautiful to play. Also I have learned the first page of prelude in c# minor, middle part will take a while to learn.

PS. I have been thinking about his 'quasi una fantasia' part. I believe he actually improvised the whole thing and then just changed a couple of things here and there. Beethoven was very famous for his awesome improvisations, as you know. Even Czerny said they were totally mindblowing. And Czerny was a master himself....but you know that too. Thanks for this analysis lesson, they are my favourite ones along the history ones

I know it doesn’t belong here but I really liked that video after 28seconds...and it was not because of Mozart. I can tell you that much. I also had a bit too much Gin. Greetings from Germany and yes... I do look for Mozart and meaning when I am wasted. Gosh...lovely eyes

further evidence that the moonlight sonata inspired chopin is that towards the end of the third movement in the moonlight sonata, there is an arpeggio thing (I don't know much theory sorry) which is very slow. It's quoted by chopin in one of the first bars of the fantaisie impromptu, but very very quickly!

I'd love to hear an explanation as to why a section of a solo piano piece is called a "trio" since one would normally associate the term with three separate instruments/voices playing together. I have heard the term for years and have just started to get full understanding of its use in this context. Any more commentary on the topic would be greatly appreciated! 😀🎹

Thank you. You help me to understand the sonata form.

My fav Composers I listen to one of beethovens songs a day they read and Write but liszt I read was the ultimate sight reader phenomenal

Love your interpretation of this beautiful masterpiece. This stirs something within me when I listen to it. This one as none other. I love classical music. Thanks for sharing.

I'm a metalhead who's recently trying very hard to find time to get into classical music and study it WITHOUT knowing much of music theory. I feel the music more than i can fully look at it technically. So for example i could immediately recognize that the whole movement is a story about loss, happiness, then tragedy again. Exclusively in that order. And i could also make out tiny bits where the music was letting the tension build and rise and cut it in half and start over again. And just for the record: the third movement is metal as hell. If someone doesn't believe this, listen to diamond head's or metallica's version of "am i evil" the lick is entirely ripped off of moonlight sonata

Can we count on analysis of Chopin's Etudes?

This was a wonderful video, like so many you have done. What struck me about this one was the clips from your own recording of the first mvt. They were beautiful and made me think that we don't get to hear you play all that often in these videos. So please, let us hear more of your playing when you can. Thank you so much for doing this. I truly appreciate the time and effort you put into sharing your insights and love of music with us. You are amazing!

Amazing lady, this is so entertaining to watch ! Hi from London!,

I love the analysis on piano sonata no.14! What an amazing piece of history and probably my favorite piece of music ever written and the darkest and strangely hopeful sonata of history. I love the restraint and emotion each movement embodies. No other piece of music (and I've pored over so many!) Evokes emotion beyond any classical piece. I am working on a transcript for a 4 instrument version, in which I hoped that my own flair would come through, only to find that any changes I made just felt like sacrilege! I cannot play piano. I read music, am trained in theory, yet piano is not in my wheelhouse. I am passable at any other string instrument. Your expression in movement 2 was sublime! Funny how most only know movement one! I actually like the second and third movement more, since they're so technically impressive! Sorry for the rant but I'm so passionate about music, esp. this arrangement!

Very interesting video Allysia! I play the first movement of this piece on the classical guitar. I think it's more beautiful on the piano but it works really well on guitar as well. I really like your enthousiasm and am glad that I discovered this channel :)

When I was in high school, my music history teacher told us that Beethoven composed this piece with that pinky finger challenging aspect intentionally, he did it so he could touch the pinky of her student that he loved when correcting her. Thinking about that now I feel it's super creepy, glad to know it is a myth. Thank you for clarifying that, awesome video.

Absolutely love these videos!! Thank you! All the love! ❤

The moonlight first movement is a russian novel---the voices speak to/with each other in a drama scene...only i play it that way.

It was overwhelming to learn to play... i couldn't believe how perfect it is

It’s strange, I just heard some old teacher say that Chopin distained Beethoven. To me it doesn’t matter because the entire piece is beautiful, like the piece you play to fall asleep too and then the third movement comes up and you find yourself incapable of sleep and you have to play it over because it blows your mind.

YOOOO I had no idea Fantasie Impromptu was dedicated to Beethoven. That and Moonlight Sonata are like my two favorite pieces and I wasn't even aware of their relation (besides that they're in the same key). Thanks so much

Your videos are so fun and engaging! Your amount of content is mega inspiring!

Hi I'm currently learning piano and I've been learning piano seriously (taking exams) for 3 years although I started fooling around with the piano since I was 3. Anyways, I'm taking ABRSM grade 6 exam this May. I always find an example of my pieces on RU-vid and I can't believe that I just came to your channel. Overall, I really love you channel and I hope you keep up with the good content. ❤️

The second movement is a tad overlooked here I think. It does some very interesting things with rhythm and syncopation, and there is some technical challenges with bringing out the melody above chords that are played with both the left and right hand at the same time.

I appreciate the video, Allysia. (I've just started learning the first page of the first movement).

I’m pretty sure that it is Don Giovanni, and not Don Juan. Also, you can hear a similarity between the part played when Don Giovanni kills the commendatore and the Moonlight Sonata (i.e., the first movement)

This is the first video which made me listen to the the musical piece and understand it to some extent. :)

Hello. I just discovered you :D. Lucky me!! Thanks. Wonderful videos.

I highly doubt that Chopin was ‘inspired’ by Beethoven as he was never a fan of Beethoven’s work and instead had a love for Bach and Mozart. Sure Beethoven’s Moonlight sonata and Chopin’s Fantasie Impromtu share similarities, but to say he was inspired by Beethoven is something I doubt is true.

you are completely right about witnessing genius and it's overwhelming and beautiful :)

I love this song. Probably the song that made want to start learning piano. I have a video of me playing it on my channel if you want to see a bad version of it 😋

The weird thing is when we analyzed books or poems in school this spoiled those books or poems for me. That also holds true for analyzing music - sometimes it simply does spoil those amazing works. I know once there was a series on Beethoven sonatas on German radio where first it was talked about a sonata (e.g. Moonlight) and then it was played by a pianist (e.g. Artur Rubinstein). Sometimes I didn't like the choice of the pianist (e.g. Horowitz). I'm very picky on pianists playing Beethoven sonatas. I really like Rubinstein, Solomon, Gulda and Zimerman.

yesssssss first song ever that iam learning, love the piano cause moonlight

i know the feeling dear, also when i read beautiful poetry

I dont play at all. I am a listener. Thank you for your brilliant explanations! It helps me understand what I am hearing. Obviously classical music differs from other more modern genres and for a lover of Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Vivaldi.....etc it really motivates me to be ok with my love of what I love! What is your opinion of contemporary classically influenced heavy metal bands suchlike Metallica? With the almost completed "Unforgiven"? I am now a new subscriber and admirer of every video you put out! So intelligent!

Hey. i am an arts and graphic design student and i love beethoven and moonlight sonata to the extent that i am doing my final thesis on his first movement. would love to look forward to a conversation with you as i am sure it will be very helpful.

Just a delight, and fascinating. You give us such understanding in so short a time.

5 minutes in and I'm a fan. You are kinda on the front lines of a world that suffers from a really bad aesthetic sense. I got yer back.

I learned the trombone as a kid and, looking at this piano music with the dual clefs so casually intertwined, I feel like such a complete amateur. I just saw one measure split into bass clef for 2 beats, then switch back! And how you people can do one thing with one hand and entirely different thing with the right. In different clefs. How in the world do you read music written this way?? I always wanted to learn piano, but it wasn't until my early 30 when my hands really started to stiffen due to neurological problems that I tried, then it was too late. :(

I cant help but read everything in swing so I think this could either be amazing swing or just kind of awkward

Thanks for this video! I just started learning the piano (Feb. 2021) and the 1st mvt. was the first serious piece I learnt completely. I used to listen to Brendel's version, but when I started learning the piano I discovered the Barenboim version (about 40s slower). I really love it. I'll check Arrau's. One request: please to Pathetique!!! I'm currently trying to learn the 2nd movement. I'm sure your video will help!!

I love these videos. Exuberant, educational, and fun. Thank you.

Excellent video. It's great to get your analysis of the classic piano pieces.

Interesting and detailed. It would be nice if the little pink dot that bounces around would go away. It's so annoying when trying to see the music.

One of the handful of songs that make me cry includes moonlight sonata and the lark by Glinka

I had that moment when I was learning Nocturne Op9 no2 by Chopin... ❤️