Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Question about the first movement of moonlight sonata?

I really love this piece and I've known how to play it fully for about 3 months, but i'm not sure if I'm supposed to have the soft pedal depressed for the duration of the piece. When I depress the soft pedal it sounds better as a whole, but the higher notes in the octaves aren't as bright or robust, but if i play the piece without the soft pedal the whole piece sounds TOO bright for such a dark piece...i dont know what to do. Should I just use the soft pedal and try to press the high notes harder?

Beethoven did not put very many indicators of pedaling in his original score. Do you have a score that provides some direction? I would follow that score.

Using the soft pedal exclusively washes out the entire piece. Just as the sustain pedal must be used with a fair amount of economy.

There are essentially three voices in Moonlight Sonata.

The accompaniment must be played softly, but in concert with the melody, and the bass is second in intensity to the melody - those two voices exchange with each other frequently in that piece.

I have been working on this piece for an upcoming e-cital. Rubenstien and Ashkenazy play my two favorite versions. Everyone has their preference and you will find yours.

Here is one of my first cracks at it - lots of work still needed.
http://www.box.net/shared/g8xmyu3bm1

Then, a second take...still no go
http://www.box.net/shared/1ldt5fxu9n

Glen

There's no "supposed to."

In a word, no.
I believe the soft pedal is called for @ the beginning, but I could never get the sound I wanted. I begin the piece in PP. The triplets should just flow, in general with more emphasis on the first of each triplet. The 5th finger of the right hand carries the melody.
Keep the left hand soft but distinct.

A modern piano isn't like what Beethoven ever used. So don't worry too much about what's intended and play it how it sounds best.

It would do no harm to play it with the soft pedal all the way through. It certainly doesn't wash it out (although soft pedals can sound better on some pianos than others, and make sure it's the soft pedal and not the practise pedal - then it would sound washed out lol).
The piece is lyrical so I think you should definitely use the soft pedal. Trust your judgement

yeah i think the soft pedal sounds the best actually. It's really hard for me to play the triplets softly, i always feel like its too loud, and then when i try to play the softest, sometimes my fingers won't even hit the notes!!! i guess i just need to practice, practice, practice!!!!!! thanks

It is the damper (sustain) pedal that is called for at the beginning, not the una corda pedal, though one has to remember the marked difference between pianos of Beethovens day and modern ones.

To be accurate, I am not referring to the orginal written composition. But, in my edition (concert performer series) it calls for the una corda pedal in measures 1, 10, 19, 28, etc.
The use of the damper pedal begins in measure 3.

Carl

Beautiful playing Inlanding...the recording was excellent too! Did you use a micro recorder (Zoom, Tascam, Sony) or mics and recording software?

As long as it sounds better with the soft pedal than I don't see why not. Just try and make sure you can still bring the melody out, the melody carries the whole piece.

On a side note, I've just started learning this one too! Always loved it, really beautiful piece. Great performance Inlanding!!

There's going to be a big difference in how the soft pedal makes the music sound between a grand - which shifts the keys to the right so that one less string is struck for each note - and an upright which shifts the hammers closer to the strings.

A technique that I've been tought for a grand is to find the place in between full-on una corda and no una corda. The hammer will be a little softer in that in-between place, and you can still hit all the strings of each note, but it changes the voicing.

You might try full-on una corda for the first part, and then move to partial-on una corda for the parts you want to give a bit more bright sound without total volume.

I'd leave the soft pedal alone on this one; just practice soft play. Beethoven left instructions on the sheet music about the pedals and it reads "always without dampers" meaning leave the sustain pedal depressed the entire time. Of course the pianos he played on didn't have the same sustain, so you may want to let off when it get over-bearing. The pieces that really require the soft pedal will be obvious when you get to them. Also, depending on where your piano is may be determining why the piece overhangs, like if there is no porous materials in the room.

I don't want to hijack this thread, but since you guys are talking about this piece, I might as well ask.

I have small hands, and OMG, the pain in my right wrist by the end is really annoying. Are there any trick/tips to playing this when you have child sized hands?

i guess you just gotta be quick!!