The following is the classical music appreciation information I shared, come and take a look with me.
Appreciation of Western Classical Music: Beethoven's "Moonlight"
Beethoven's "Moonlight" piano sonata was written in 1801. That year Beethoven admitted in a letter his fear of ear disease. He also wrote in a letter: ?I am now living a slightly happier life, a change brought about by a lovely, charming girl who loves me and is loved by me? ?Unfortunately , she is not of my class, and I cannot get married yet.
The lovely, charming girl mentioned in the letter is seventeen-year-old Julietta, who is Beethoven’s piano student. She may also have been the source of inspiration for the slow movement in Beethoven's String Quartet No. 18.
The reason why this sonata is called "Moonlight" is because the German poet Ludwig Laerstab compared the first movement of this sonata to "like the moonlight on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland". It came like a rocking boat on the glittering lake. There is also a touching legend about this song. When Beethoven played the piano to a blind brother and sister, the wind blew out the candle. At that time, the moonlight fell quietly on this poor hut, on the piano and on the bodies of the three people. Feeling this situation, Beethoven improvised the "Moonlight" Sonata. In any case, the name "Moonlight" made this sonata a household name.
Appreciation of Western classical music: "Sonata Fantasy"
"Moonlight" was originally called "Piano Sonata in C sharp minor", also known as "Sonata Fantasy" and "Sonata Fantasy", composed In 1801, it was close to the mature stage of Wu Wangwei's creation. This work has three movements: In the first movement, the theme of sighs is integrated into his deafness and melancholy thoughts. The second movement expresses the sweet dream of memories, which is also like a blueprint for the future. The third movement is an exciting Presto. The most beautiful thing about this work is the first movement, which reminds people of moonlight.
The reason why this piano piece is called "Moonlight" is because the German poet Ludwig Leerstable said after hearing it: "After listening to the first movement of this work, It reminds me of Lake Lucerne in Switzerland and the bright moonlight rippling on the lake. ? Later, the publisher added the title "Moonlight" based on this passage, and various legends about the composer improvising under the moonlight became popular. In fact, what touched Beethoven's creation was not the bright moonlight, but the painful mood after the failure of Beethoven's first love with Juliette Guichardi (1784-1856).
Julietta Guichardi is the daughter of a count, 14 years younger than Beethoven. The two truly love each other, but the family gap forces them to break up. After Beethoven suffered this heavy blow, he poured out all the inner pain and intense grief and indignation caused by the feudal hierarchy into this passionate and fiery piano piece. So, this piece is dedicated to her.
As for the explanation of this work, perhaps the views of Russian art critic Stasov (1824? 1906) are more reasonable. After recalling listening to Liszt's performance in Petersburg, he believed that this sonata was a complete tragedy. The first movement was full of wistful tenderness and a mental state sometimes full of dark premonitions. He also had a similar impression when listening to Anton Rubinstein's performance: a quiet voice suddenly rose from afar, far away, as if from the depths of the invisible soul. Some of the voices are melancholy, full of infinite melancholy; others are pensive, with a flood of memories and dark omens.
There is a misrepresented anecdote surrounding "Moonlight". In the first half of the century, a German music critic published an article saying that Beethoven's "Piano Sonata in C sharp minor" reminded him of "the moonlight rippling on the water of Lake Lucerne in Switzerland". So the shrewd publisher invented a touching "story" under the title "Moonlight Music": One night, Beethoven was walking on the outskirts of Vienna and suddenly heard the sound of a piano, and it was his work. Looking for the sound, he walked to the window of an old house and found a blind girl playing. It was only after he entered the house that he learned that she loved Beethoven's music. The composer was so moved that he wrote this moonlight song under the moonlight.
This story is purely fictional.
In fact, when Beethoven wrote this work, it was in 1801. At that time, his deafness was getting worse and the pain of broken love had not yet healed. In a painful state of mind, he wrote this piano sonata. There is almost no famous song like this sonata, which is famous all over the world and is a household name because of the common name "Moonlight". There are different opinions on the origin of the name "Moonlight", but the most common one is that the German poet Ludwig Reierstab (1799-1860) described the first movement of this piece of music as "like the scene in Lake Lucerne, Switzerland" Like a rocking boat on the moonlit lake. Beethoven himself called this work "Quasi una Fantasia" (Quasi una Fantasia).
Classical Music Appreciation
The first part just describes one thing, and at the same time expresses Beethoven's leisurely mood. It reads in a calm tone; while the latter part is written in a beautiful way. The artistic conception and the imagination of the two brothers and sisters, the scene changes from stillness to movement, and the tone and speaking speed naturally change greatly accordingly. To put it in a specific sentence, a gust of wind blew out the candles, and the moonlight came in through the window. Everything in the hut seemed to be covered with silver gauze, making it look particularly quiet. Beethoven looked at the poor brother and sister standing beside him, and pressed the keys in the quiet moonlight. The shoemaker listened quietly. He seemed to be facing the sea, and the moon was rising from where the water and the sky met. The sparkling sea surface was instantly filled with moonlight. The moon rises higher and higher, passing through wisps of veil-like clouds. ?These sentences express that kind of hazy beauty. If you imagine the mood of the characters at that time, they should be very peaceful. When reading, the voice is soft, the speaking speed is slightly slow, and the tone does not change much. Read? Suddenly, strong winds blew on the sea and huge waves rolled up. The waves, illuminated by the moonlight, surged toward the shore one after another and suddenly accelerated. The tone of voice fluctuated greatly, highlighting the rough appearance of the waves on the sea. And then? She seemed to have seen it, and saw something she had never seen before. scene of the rough sea illuminated by moonlight. ?The speaking speed slowed down again, paying special attention to the pause after ? under the moonlight. The ? rough sea? The speed is even slower, but each word is extremely powerful to show the brother and sister's mood of being intoxicated in the music.
Until now, many people still equate this beautiful and touching legend with the fact itself. In fact, according to research by music historians, Beethoven never had this experience. His "Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor" was titled "Moonlight" because the music critic Lyle Stauber believed that the beginning of this piece is reminiscent of the moonlight on Lake Lucerne. The shrewd publisher invented a touching "story" under the title "Moonlight Song".
In fact, when Beethoven wrote this work, it was in 1801. At that time, his deafness was getting worse and the pain of broken love had not yet healed. In a painful state of mind, he wrote this piano sonata.
Therefore, in the first movement, the sighing theme blends into his melancholy thoughts. Someone once explained this movement with the help of imagination and said: "The first movement is like the rising of the moon, full of hope, but it is covered by floating clouds, and all shadows disappear, which makes people feel sad."
The second movement is a small allegro. As a transitional movement, the mood of the music tends to be soft and warm, like recalling the sweet dreams of the past and looking forward to the blueprint for the future. The two musical themes in the movement seem to soothe the traumatized soul. The soothing transitional movement will give people the feeling of a peaceful moonlit night. However, this moon-like tranquility is just a short rest in Beethoven's turbulent heart.
The third movement came like a surge, and the lion-like Beethoven once again jumped on the rushing black and white keys. If the second movement is as Liszt commented: "It is a little flower between two cliffs", then the finale movement is the flood pouring down from the cliff. The exciting Allegro tempo makes the notes sound like a storm, blending in anger, appeal and resistance. The bumpy circumstances gave Beethoven not sighs and surrender, but fights and struggles. This movement has two contrasting themes. The former is composed of decomposed chords of sixteenth notes; the upward impact phrase shows strong power; the latter has a beautiful melody and clear tone, full of longing and hope for faith. The two themes are intertwined, contrasted, developed, or reappeared, making the composer's state of mind like the sea, with turbulent waves that are difficult to calm down.
This sonata is Beethoven’s early work. It was during the period when the fortepiano was transforming into the modern piano. Since the sustain pedal used in the first movement of this piece is beyond the reach of the fortepiano, this piece It is the first work suitable only for piano playing.