Beethoven moonlight sonata

Piano sonata written by Beethoven in 1801

"Moonlight Sonata" redirects here.

Beethoven moonlight sonata

For other uses, see Moonlight Sonata (disambiguation).

The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, marked Quasi una fantasia, Op. 27, No. 2, is a piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven, completed in 1801 and dedicated in 1802 to his pupil Countess Julie "Giulietta" Guicciardi.^[b] Although known throughout the world as the Moonlight Sonata (German: Mondscheinsonate), it was not Beethoven who named it so.

The name grew popular later, likely long after Beethoven's death.

The piece is one of Beethoven's most famous compositions for the piano, and was quite popular even in his own day.^[1] Beethoven wrote the Moonlight Sonata around the age of 30, after he had finished with some commissioned work; there is no evidence that he was commissioned to write this sonata.^[1]

Names

The first edition of the score is headed Sonata quasi una