Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 Moonlight: I. Adagio sostenuto

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Musical Terms (7)

• quase una fantasia Italian
  Almost a fantasy — Beethoven's own subtitle for both Op. 27 sonatas, indicating a freely structured, improvisatory character.
  The designation sonata quasi una fantasia signals that the usual formal expectations do not apply: movements are unconventionally arranged, the slow movement comes first, and the finale carries the structural weight. The performer should capture this sense of freedom.
• sempre pp e senza sordino Italian
  Always pianissimo and without mute — the combined marking at the opening of the Moonlight Sonata first movement.
  The always-soft instruction combined with continuous pedaling sets the entire character of the movement: a sustained, undifferentiated murmur beneath the melody. The triplets must be perfectly even and never mechanical.
• senza sordino Italian
  Without mute — Beethoven's instruction for the first movement of Op. 27 No. 2 to hold the sustain pedal throughout the movement.
  On the fortepiano of Beethoven's time, senza sordino with the thinner, quicker-decaying strings produced a hazy, atmospheric blur that is much more saturated on a modern concert grand. Modern pianists must use judgment in applying this instruction — a lighter, more carefully managed pedal approximates the historical effect.
• attacca subito Italian
  Proceed immediately to the next movement without any pause — Beethoven's characteristic instruction linking movements into a continuous arc.
  One of Beethoven's most striking structural devices. The emotional momentum built at the end of one movement is deliberately not allowed to dissipate; the next movement inherits and transforms it.
• con moto Italian
  With motion — in Beethoven, indicating a flowing, forward-driven quality that prevents andante or adagio from becoming too slow.
  Beethoven's 'Andante con moto' (e.g., the 5th Symphony slow movement, the Ghost Trio, Op. 27 No. 1 second movement) implies a purposeful walking pace — never static. The motion is internal as well as metric.
• Empfindung German
  Feeling, sensation — Beethoven's own word for the emotional directness he sought in his slow movements.
  Beethoven occasionally added verbal descriptions to his scores (the Op. 135 finale: 'Muss es sein?'). These reflect his belief that music should communicate feeling directly, not through style or convention.
• sempre Italian
  Always, continuously — typically qualifying a dynamic or expression mark to indicate it should be maintained throughout.
  Beethoven's 'sempre pp' or 'sempre staccato' instructions require the quality to be held unchanged for extended passages. Avoid the natural tendency to vary; the instruction's point is the sustained quality.