Name: Angelica Fenech

ID: 448490M

Course: B.A. Music and Theatre Studies

A musical analysis of Beethoven's Sonata quasi una fantasia, op.27 no. 2.

Study-Unit: Traditional Analysis

Code: MSP2162

Lecturer: Prof.Mro Michael Laus

The Sonata quasi una fantasia op.27 no2 is a piano sonata by Ludwig Van

Beethoven. It was composed in the summer of 1801 in Hungary. The composition

was published in 1802 and it was dedicated to a 17 years old Countess Giulietta

Gucciardi, who was his pupil and a person of whom he was very fond of.

As the title suggests, it is not a real sonata, neither a romantic piece. When writing

this piece, Beethoven had Don Giovanni of Mozart on his mind. Whether it was

consciously or subconsciously, he was greatly influenced by it. In fact we can notice

that the perpetual triplets and then polyrhythm were copied from Mozart’s score of

the Commendatore’s death scene in ‘Don Giovanni’. We can deduct that he wanted it

to resemble a Funeral March .The name ‘Moonlight sonata ‘was given to this piece

after Beethoven’s death by the German music critic Ludwig Rellstab, and this is

because it was said that Beethoven was inspired to write the sonata while visiting

Lake Balaton in Hungary.

The sonata is a compound ternary (ABA).It consists of three movements: 1) Adagio

Sostenuto 2) Allegretto and 3) Presto Agitato. The piece starts in the key of C ♯

minor. The movement opens with an octave in the bass part and an ostinato triplet

rhythm figuration which is accompanying the left hand. (See figure1.0)

Figure 1.0

It is to be played pianissimo ‘very quietly’, very delicately and with pedal (all the

time), in order for the notes to compile themselves and create one big cacophonic
sound. In bars 5-6, and 6-7 there is a rhythmic motif present, followed by other

minims and crotchets which make up the motif of the main theme. It is shown in

figure 1.1

Figure1.1 –showing bars 5-9

One can notice that in Bar 16 there is a dominant 9th on the first chord, and a new idea

seems to be showing in bars 16-18.

The theme continues, until at bar 22 there is a Neapolitan flattened supertonic, then in

continues and it reappears as a lowered octave in bar 39. From Bar 23, we can say that

the section is a sort of a Development section.

From bars 28 all the way to bar 39, there is a constant Dominant (G) base .

The recapitulation section starts from the end of bar 42, with the same dotted

rhythmic motif of bar 5-6. As it goes along, with the triplet figures, a Neapolitan 2nd

appears in bar 50 . (See figure 1.2, Neapolitan 2nd shown by a rectangular box).

Figure1.2
Eventually it modulates to C♯ Minor or to the Dominant of F♯ minor, then it

modulates to C♯ minor from bar 58 till the end of the first movement (bar 69).

In Bars 62-63 (right hand part) he mixes the idea of the beginning motif with the idea

of the development section.

Figure1.3 – bars 62,63

By the end of the first movement, the notes are going downwards, especially the bass

part. It almost foretells that the piece is going into darker times. It dies away in a moto

perpetuo manner.

In the Allegretto part, the key is in D♭Major. From bar 70-78 there is a period, which

consists of an antecedent from bar 70 till the first crotchet beat of bar 74 .One may

note also the half cadence at the end of bar 73 going unto 74. The consequent start

from the last beat of bar 74 till the first beat of bar 78. The piece continues with a

variation. Now there are long phrasings, to cut from the monotony of the beginning

part, and it also ends with a half cadence in bars 106-107.

The trio section is full syncopation. The first four bars, meaning bar 109-112 are taken

form the first segment of the Allegretto. The first part is a whole phrase group because

they end on the same tonic. The second half of it after the repeat sign, is sectioned in

two phrases, from bars 117 till the minim beat of bar 126, and the second phrase is

from the last (crotchet) beat of bar 126 till the end (till bar 133).These two 8-bar

sequences are repeated, and are both contrasting. This trio is considered to be in a

simple binary form.

The Third movement is in sonata form, and it’s the finale of the piece. .As we can in

the exposition section, there is a rhythmic pattern used as shortening effect. This is by

grouping the bars in the following manner: 2+2+2+1+1. This movement as the

musical indication of ‘Presto agitato’ suggests, is in a very stormy mood , tempest

like. In the first tonal area, there is no recognisable tune, and this is a trait used to

signify that it is a finale. It is arpeggiated and very fast, and this creates a contrast

with the beginning which is also arpeggiated but it is very slow and delicate.

In bar148 starts a counter statement, in fact the notes are almost identical with the

beginning of the section, but it differs in bar 149 and it modulates in bar 152 in the

dominant of dominant.

In bar 153, a slur appears for the first time with articulation. There is gradual

transition to cantabile. From bar 154, in the left hand part, harsh low notes are used

for effect, and they are in an Alberti Bass but they are used in a unique way. (See

figure1.4)

Figure: 1.4
In bar 60, In the bass clef there is the tremolo , which is helping pushing the piece

forward, until it reaches bar 162 and the bass line starts to descend. The Descending

base line was present even in the beginning of the 1st movement. From bar 162

desecends down to bar 165 where it then breaks with a Neopolitan 7th chord ( in the

key of G♯ Minor) in forte fortissimo ( very loudly) it is sustained, then it continues in

piano (softly)1. In bar 170 there is another Chord which is played in forte fortissimo

(Very loudly) and it breaks off again in piano (softly).

Figure 1.5

In bars 171 and 172, there is the use of off-beats, to get an agitated feel. (see figure

1.6)

Figure 1.6

1
See Figure 1.5
From bar 174 starts the 2nd tonal area, in the key of G♯Minor. The first two bars are

played Forte (loudly), then the rest is in piano (softly). In this section a particular

rhythmic figure motif was present and nit is shown in bar 179 as well as in bar 185-

188. This motif will be shown in figure 1.7.

Figure 1.7

From bar 189 there is a change in rhythm, there is an Alberti Bass with a tonic pedal

(G sharp).This change gives the feeling of a codetta.

From bar 198 starts the development section. It starts with dotted rhythm figures in

the bass and apreggiated figures in the right hand, in Forte piano (as musical

direction).It goes into a piano dynamic in bar 204, where the bass gets into an Alberti

Bass whilst the melody continues in the right hand, until it is swapped in bar 208, the

Alberti Bass is played in the right hand and the melody is in the left hand. The melody

is slowly expanding, that the highest note in the right hand section is in bar 225, on a

G, and the left hand goes down to a lower F in bar 219.It goes into a series of

crescendo’s and decrescendo’s until it pauses on two chords made up of minims, with

p, and pp dynamic signs, in bars 233 and 234. These two bars almost hark back to the

pace of the first movement.2

2
See figure 1.8
Figure 1.8 – showing bars 223 and 234

The bars are set in the dominant until it reaches the Recapitulation section, which

starts in bar 235, with a shocking Forte piano dynamic, which reminds us to get back

to reality. Further on the melody gets to be played both in the bass clef until in bar

245 is played by both treble and bass clef .The bass clef is going up almost in step

motion whilst the melody of the right hand is still in fast demi semiquaver rhythm,

which is all play ‘forte’ loudly, until it pauses on a tonic chord in bar 248. In bar 249,

in piano, there is the Alberti Bass again in the bass clef, and the melody in the right

hand. There is a trill in bar 258 in the right hand which gives the melody a bit of

change, there is another trill in bar 260 which makes the melody end in a sforzando

(sf) ,which prepares for the Forte fortissimo (very loud) sustained chord in bar 261, it

then quiets itself down immediately with piano. In bar 264 the key modulates to

C♯Minor.In bar 266 the melody is going up and downwards, until in bar 267 the

melody goes up in a scale type manner whilst the bass uses off-beats just like in bars

171-172 however instead of making two bars, he removed one bar this time. It goes

all loud (forte) now, with the left hand making an Alberti bass and the right hand only

plays chords, but in bar 270 both hands are busy playing together a set of repeated

tones. In Bar 284 there is a codetta that lasts up till bar 292.Then the music continues

until there is a Coda in bar 296-299, which is filled with long sustained arpeggios and

chords. In bar 298 there are 2 diminished 7th chords in the bass part, this was done to
remove any traces of tonality, and to start afresh. In Bar 299 a rallentando was created

by the note value’s themselves.

In bar 300 there is the use of a theme from the second tonal area, (going back to bar

208), with the difference that in bar 306 and 307 this time the melody is inverted onto

the right hands. The music seems to be precipitating by the use of the Alberti Bass,

which is always going steps further to the lower register.

In Bar 310, which starts with a ‘Forte’ dynamic, is where it first appears a triplet .The

triplets are used for a downward movement. The melody now has a wave like shape,

since it is going to very high pitch and then to very low ones. In bars 316 and 318 , the

long slurs are implying a cadenza3, when it reaches a high G there is a Trill

ornamentation on the C of Bar 320.That same chord is a dominant 9th , which harks

back to bar 16 from the first movement.4

Figure1.9

In bar 321, having an Adagio tempo marking, and ‘piano’ dynamic, we notice that

all the stormy effect has gone, and it has got the theme of the codetta. Towards the

end, in bar 329, the theme of the beginning reappears but with both hand playing

together, until the last three final chords are played in forte fortissimo.

3
A cadenza is a solo that’s part of a larger piece of music such as a sonata. It takes great skill to play it
because they are usually intended for virtuosos.
4
See figure 1.9 showing the dominant 9th Chord
Figure2.0 – showing bars 329-333

Online sources:

Jamila Sahar, The History of the ‘Moonlight’ Sonata,

2012http://theartofpianoperformance.me/2012/01/29/sonata-quasi-una-fantasia-better-
known-as-the-moonlight-sonata/ (accessed: 24th January, 2015)

Prof. Iulian Munteanu All about Ludwig van Beethoven, 2014

http://www.all-about-beethoven.com/moonsonata.html (accessed: 26th January, 2015)

Roni, Beethoven- ‘Moonlight’ Sonata, 2007

http://classicalmusicblog.com/2007/09/beethoven-sonata.html (accessed:26th
January,2015)

Piano Sonata No. 14 (Beethoven),

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_No._14_%28Beethoven%29 (accessed:

26th January, 2015)