Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata: Third Movement

Hi everyone, we are back with Beethoven and the Moonlight Sonata, third movement, the most virtuosic one.

Contrasts in the Sonata

We were talking about the great contrasts Beethoven included when composing this sonata:

• First Movement: Very intimate, soft, and slow.
• Second Movement: Cheerful and dance-like, described as a "flower between the two Abbesses," as Lis called it, in D flat major.
• Third Movement: Back to C sharp minor with incredible broken chords passages.

Rhapsodic Movement

This movement doesn't start with a clear theme or subject. Instead, it begins with broken chords, similar to how we started the first movement. Later, we discover that there is indeed a motivic subject, a theme worthy of singing.

Theme Introduction

The thematic material appears a bit later, in Bar 21, after we encounter a fermata. Do you remember the pedal note: G sharp fermata?

Fermata Timing

• Importance of Timing: No one really knows how long this fermata should be.
• Repetition: Since you are likely repeating this first section multiple times, you can experiment with timing.
  • Consider making it dramatically longer the first time and a bit shorter another time.
• Beethoven's Improvisation: Beethoven was a great improviser. Performers noted that he often played the same piece differently in repeats.

Transitioning from Second Movement

After the second movement, which ends in B flat major, we transition immediately to C sharp minor, setting up the "engine" for the third movement.

Fingering Recommendations

For fingering, I recommend:

• Not the usual: Octave 1:5.
• Consider 1-4 for certain sections since the fourth finger is positioned between the black keys and doesn't project as well.

Accentuation and Dynamics

• Use piano sforzando and prepare for novelty.
• In Bar 19, we see a crescendo for the first time with the same figure (broken chords), but it's done with slurs, meaning it should be played legato and more expressively.

Alberti Bass

We encounter the Alberti bass, a familiar accompaniment figure used extensively by the Italian composer Alberti, a singer and harpsichordist.

• This figure appears frequently in Beethoven's writing and is a mix of humor and irony.
• It's essential to play it with minimal pedal to ensure clarity since it belongs more to the 18th century than to a 19th-century piece.

Variations of Alberti Bass

• The figure appears in various forms:
  • In the left hand during the middle section,
  • In the right hand from Bar 75.

Practicing Tips

Pay attention to the thumb:

• We discussed the importance of the thumb's flexibility earlier.
• For G sharp minor, your thumb should be very flexible:
  • In the left hand, use G sharp 5-3-1 for the first inversion.
  • Then, try 4 to 1 to maintain a natural hand position.

Additional Considerations

• Avoid practicing too fast, focusing instead on maintaining proper technique to avoid strain.
• Ensure that you take care of your thumbs throughout the practice.

See you next time!