IMSLP Forums

Hi all of you. I'm glad to write in this forum.

Months ago i dropped a message and i got an answer quite fast.

So i'm sure this time is gonna be the same...

Here i go:

I'm trying to learn Beethoven's Op 27 No. 2's 3rd movement
(The moonlight sonata presto agitato part). I have the music score, and the 20th measure (or what i call the first part after the "intro") clearly states four quartets for the left hand, in the pattern G#, D#, B, D# (just so we are sure what part i am talking about). I have listened it so many times, and just a minutes ago i found that almost everybody plays this part with only two quartets (obviosly changing it's duration).

My first question is:
Do i have a bad ear (musically speaking) or they really changed it to play just 2 quartets? (I've tried youtubing but its hard to see their fingers, since no slowmo available)
My second question, wich depends on the answer from the first one, is:
My music score is wrong? or there's an easier version?
And last, but not least:
Could you tell me what to do? I mean, how to play it, because i really want to give it a try, but if the masters do it with 2 quartets, i think it's for a reason.

Thanks in advance!!
Atte. Daniel

(PS. Apologizes about ortography but english isn't my mother tongue)

Hi
First of all, even if I play sometime the piano, I'm not really a pianist, but a violinist (by profession). And second, I can only speak now by memory since after moving, all my piano scores (and 4 hands scores) are still unclassified... so I must have the Beethoven somewhere but didn't find them after 10 mn search (!!) sorry.

The only thing I can say is that you must first make sure that the part you've got IS the original version from Beethoven, since (especially with famous works) the editors have sometimes been very active in "editing" the music they where publishing.

I'll take as an example the first movement of this "Sonata quasi una fantasia" from Beethoven (Moonlight having been added rather later by some busy body, but that is only the title).

Beethoven did mark on the original first movement, an alla breve sign, which had been often transformed afterwarts in a simple C sign.

But knowing that at that time, the "beat unit" was very important and was indeed what had to be taken in account for the speed of a piece, the result is that every body was after this "little" change", playing it half speed, even great ones like Brendel... as a four beats bar, but it was originally supposed to be a two beats bar.

I agree that it was much more corresponding then to the title "moonlight", but since that this too had been added, it doesn't mean very much concerning Beethoven's thoughts...

As a morality to this, don't be confident in scores, unless you are sure to have a fiable one (originals, or todays "Uhrtext" are generally rather fiable)...
And also, learn for yourself all those things (playing habits and so on, for instance, the mention "senza sordini" having nothing to do with the left pedal, but meanig in the opposite the right one to be pressed... on a modern piano it should be adapted), and rely mostly on what you know for sure, since very much to often, the "what-you-called-masters" don't know much and just follow what they have been thaught by other "what-you-called-masters"... The teaching is often ment to have pupils following the track (called some time "tradition... the only thing been to know from whom!), and not to much to search and think by themselfs.
Good luck

Thanks for your time answering me.

Altough your answer isn't very punctual, it's better because you give some more important aspects about music than just a particular possible error about a score.

Thanks again, it was very helpful reading you.

PS Once again, sorry my english....