THE MOONLIGHT SONATA

One evening Ludwing van Beethoven and a friend were taking a walk. As they were passing through a narrow, dark street, they heard music coming from a little house.

“Hush” Beethoven said. “it is from one of my most beautiful pieces.”

Suddenly a voice said, “I cannot play anymore- it is so beauty! How I wish I could hear that piece played by someone who could do justice to it.”

Without a word, Beethoven and his friend entered the houde. It was the home of a poor shoemaker. At the piano sat a young girl.

“Pardon me,” said the great composer. “I am musician. I heard you say you wished to hear someone play the piece you have just been playing. Will you permit to play it for you?

“Thank you very much,” answered the girl, “but our piano is very old. And we have no music sheets.”

“No music sheets! How did you play, then? Asked Beethoven.

The young girl turned her face toward the great master.

Looking at her more closely, he saw that he was blind.

“I play from memory,” she said.

“where did you hear the piece that you were playning just now?

“I used to hear a lady practicing near our old home. During the summer evenings, her windows were open, and I walked to and fro outside to listen to her, “ she answered.

Beethoven seated himself at the piano. The blind girl and her brother listened with raptured to the master’s playing. At last the shoemaker came neqr and asked, “Who are you?

Beethoven made no answer. The shoemaker repeated his questions, and master smiled. He began to play the piece which the girl hads trying to play.

The listeners held their breath. When the playing stopped, they cried, “You are the master himself! You are Beethoven!”

He rose to go, but they held him back.

“Play for us once more- only once more,” they pleaded.

He seated himself again at the piano. The brilliant moonlight was shinning into the bare little room.

“I will compose a sonata to the moonlight,” he said.

He looked thoughtfully for something at the bright skies lit up by the moon and the twinkling stars. Then his fingers moved ocer the keys of the old, worn piano. In low, sad, sweet strains, he played his new piece. Finally, pushing back his chair, and turning towards the door he said, “Farewell to you.”

He paused and looked tenderly at the face blind girl.

“Yes, I will come again an give you some lessons. Farewell! I will soon come again!”

Beethoven said to his friend, “let us hurry that I may write out that sonata while I can yet remenber it!”

That was how Ludwing van Beethoven’s famous “Moonlight sonata” was composed.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks for the story..i always love "moonlight" by beethoven..

Anonymous said...

hi!!! could i copy the story for my blog. I'll just give credits to you. thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hi! This story is so great. I have a copy of this story too. Somebody gave me an old book, and when i opened it, i saw this "MOONLIGHT SONATA". After i read it, Ludwig Van Beethoven becomes interesting to me. ^^ Great story! :)

CelticFiddler said...

Nice story, but apocryphal. There are several such stories, but most of them stretch reality substantially. The "Moonlight" sonata did get it's present name until after Beethoven's death. It was originally composed in 1801 with the title “Quasi una fantasia” and dedicated to Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, who was one of Beethoven's students. He proposed marriage to Giulietta, and she was willing, but her father nixed the idea, calling Beethoven a mediocre musician with no backing and no future.

“Quasi una fantasia” was immensely popular during the composer's lifetime, somewhat to his irritation. He wrote to his contemporary, Czerny, that "Surely I have written better pieces."

In 1836, German music critic, Ludwig Rellstab wrote that the sonata reminded him of the reflected moonlight off Lake Lucerne. Moonlight Sonata has became the best-known title of the sonata.

I will be performing this piece in recital Tuesday evening, May 18th, 2010, in downtown Dallas, which is the main reason I researched the backstory.

Cheryll said...

this story was told by my little brother to me. He said that his music teacher actually narrated this story to them on their music class. I look it up and I found it. :) nice..I actually have a written history about this piece on my blog as well. if you have time come and check it out too it's Moonlight Sonata, Piano Sonata no. 14

Unknown said...

Iv heard about this moving story during a sermon today.Why not if it can bring hope and joy to others.
At times we can no more play the music of life...life seems so hard , untuned, useless.The question
remains:will I let Jesus play His music
of forgiveness,redemption and eternal love in my life?
With Jesus and through I can also bring light ,a moon light of hope and justice to others.