Chords for The Sad Story behind Moonlight Sonata

What's up guys, welcome back to my channel!
I'm Annik, I'm a classical pianist and today we are going to talk about [Abm] the Moonlight Sonata,
one of the most famous pieces in piano literature or even like [Db] just in classical music literature actually.
Many people like to play this piece, [Eb] many people like to listen to this piece, however I think most of the people don't actually know where the name Moonlight Sonata comes from,
how it was [Ab] originally named by Beethoven and also how he got the idea to actually write the piece like this.
If this sounds interesting to you, stay tuned and like this [Ab] video!
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_ [Db] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [Dbm] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [Dbm] _ _ The Sonata Op.
[B] 27 No.
2 was published in 1802 [A] and Beethoven gave it the title Sonata quasi una fantasia.
[D] What this exactly means we'll talk about [Ab] later.
Nowadays the Sonata is [Abm] more known as the Moonlight [Ab] Sonata
and the Sonata got its name [Dbm] after a German music critic Ludwig Rellstab who wrote that it reminded him of the moon setting [Ab] over Lake Luzern.
Lake Luzern is a beautiful lake in Switzerland.
In German we say Fjordwaldstadt [Dbm] has it's very very well known here.
So like in many cases [Gbm] this name was not given to this piece by the composer himself [E] but it just got this name later on [B] because people like to give names to pieces.
I [E] can't understand where it comes from, [Eb] however I always want to remind you that it is not the [Em] composer who gave this name.
One problem with this I feel like is always that people are just stuck with this specific image in their head [G] that there is basically not really another interpretation opened to this piece anymore.
Which is [C] very sad because it's such a [B] beautiful piece, it's a real masterpiece [Eb] and there is a reason why [Gb] people are still fascinated by this piece [B] even now like 200 years later.
So what does the [Em] original title actually mean?
Sonata quasi una fantasia?
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[Bm] _ _ _ _ [Gb] _ _ _ _
_ _ [Bm] _ _ _ Sonata [B] quasi una fantasia basically just means to play it like a [Em] fantasy.
What does playing like a fantasy actually mean?
[E] Back then at this [B] time period people were improvising a lot at the piano, much much more than we do nowadays.
You basically only improvise in jazz music at the [Em] piano.
In classical [E] music however you're [B] normally not improvising anymore.
Which is very sad because all the [Abm] composers back then they could improvise extremely [Db] well.
Especially Beethoven is known as someone who [Gbm] was improvising in concerts.
Some people actually say that he [B] improvised even better than he composed so I [C] can't imagine how good he was in improvising.
So [Db] playing like a [Gbm] fantasy means that you should play like [Db] you're just inspired in that moment to play like this.
[Gbm] Which means that there is much more freedom in your playing than you're normally used to when you're playing classical music.
In the classical style many [Bbm] things are very [Db] strict like the tempo, [Gbm] the form, the articulation, dynamics.
Everything [Ebm] is pretty much [Db] settled.
There's still [Ab] a lot of freedom but in another way.
And what this freedom in this case means that the form for example [Dbm] is much more free than you would find it in a normal [Gbm] sonata.
Normally the [G] first movement of a classical [Ab] sonata is divided up into three obvious parts.
So we have the exposition, we have the development and the reprise or _ recapitulation I [A] think it is said.
[Ab] Yes recapitulation.
You can find it [E] very often that [Dbm] during the exposition you're introducing two characters that are contrasting.
[Eb] If the first character [Dbm] is a little bit more vibrant [Abm] and more energetic the second character is much more [Ab] calm.
For example you'll [A] find a big contrast in the Waldstein sonata.
[C] _ _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ [E] _
_ _ [Ab] _ _ [A] _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ [B] _ _ [Ab] Now this is the typical pattern for a classical sonata.
However in this piece he is much more free with the form and you [Eb] can't find the different characters.
You can't find a huge [Ab] contrast.
It just feels much more like [Ebm] something improvised [Eb] and just like very dark thoughts [Ab] that are coming out in that moment.
So this is basically what Beethoven meant [Eb] by sonata quasi una [Ab] fantasia.
So improvising plays a huge role in [A] this piece and you should always consider this when [Gbm] you're playing it.
_ _ _ [Ab] _ _
_ _ _ [Dbm] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ Now how did Beethoven [Ab] actually got the idea or the inspiration to compose this piece?
This piece is dedicated to [Dbm] Countess Giulietta [Gbm] Guiciardi.
I don't know exactly [E] how to pronounce her.
I'm sorry for that.
Giulietta [B] was a pupil of Beethoven around 1801.
[E] Back then it was very common that the daughters of very rich people are getting piano lessons.
You [B] can see this a lot with Mozart for example, with Beethoven of course.
But also later with Chopin [E] and Liszt.
Around 1801 she started [Ab] to learn piano [Dbm] with Beethoven and [Ab] very soon they fell in love with each other.
It is [Dbm] certain that Beethoven proposed to [Db] Giulietta and she really wanted [Gb] to say [Ab] yes to him.
However back at that time [Dbm] the parents have much more to say about your [Db] marriage than we are used to nowadays.
And one of her parents [Gbm] _ said no.
Probably her dad.
So unfortunately Giulietta was [Db] forbidden to marry a man without rank, fortune or permanent engagement.
A man too of [Gbm] character and temperament so peculiar and [Gb] afflicted with the incipient [Gb] stages of an infirmity,
which if not arrested and cured, must deprive him of all hope [B] of obtaining any high and remunerative official [E] appointment
and [A] at length compel him to [Eb] abandon his career as [Ab] the great piano forte [Db] virtuoso.
[Gbm] Man, that was a huge sentence and [Ab] probably I only understood half of it.
I had to re-read it a [Dbm] couple of times and search for some of [Ab] these words.
I actually learned some English today.
[Dbm] So instead of marrying Beethoven, [Ab] which could have been like the greatest choice in her life,
Giulietta married someone else, the Count Wenzel Robert [Dbm] Gallenberg,
a _ _ _ prolific composer of ballet and [Ab] occasional music.
[Abm] So the Moonlight Sonata or the [Ab] Sonata quasi una fantasia opus 27 [Dbm] number 2
was inspired through this _ unfulfilled [Ab] love that Beethoven felt.
And I mean we have this effect [Eb] even until now.
I mean most of the love songs [Ab] that we hear, Taylor Swift [Dbm] or Adele or like any type of pop music,
any type of love songs that we [Abm] hear, is most of the time inspired through unfulfilled love,
[Ab]
unreturned [E] love, you know, any type of [Dbm] heartbreak.
And this is why we love it so much.
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_ _ _ _ _ _ [A] At this point of the video I would like to thank my Patreons for sponsoring this video
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Without my Patreons I couldn't afford all [Db] the equipment that I have here right now
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That would enable me to do what I'm [Ab] doing here
and to be present here and continue producing these videos.
If you want to support me as well please consider supporting me on Patreon.
[Ebm] You'll find the link in the description box on Patreon.
I'm normally trying to [Bb] give you more behind the scenes, [Abm] especially of the [Dbm] challenges.
I'm putting all the [Eb] fingerings and, you know, the uncut version of the whole practicing parts.
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All right guys, this was the [Eb] video for today.
I hope you enjoyed it.
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Did you know about this story?
Tell me in the comments down below.
Also, would you like to know the background stories of other famous pieces?
And if yes, which?
Tell me in the [B] comments down below.
Thanks for watching and see you in the next videos.
Bye!
[Bb] _