L E S L I E S P OTZ , D E LTA P I
Ludwig van Beethoven 250+ years old yet still vital for music today s a piano teacher for more than 45 years, the requests from my students to learn the first movement of the “Moonlight” Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) are ongoing. Only Debussy’s “Claire de Lune” compares in popularity with the desire to play “Moonlight.” This first movement alone, in the 20th and 21st centuries has been quoted in movies, commercials and anywhere you can find music. “Moonlight” only opens the door. Interest in Beethoven’s music grows exponentially from an initial introduction from “Moonlight.” My own teacher, Mieczyslaw Horszowski, during my college days at the Curtis Institute of Music, represented a personal link directly back to Beethoven. His piano teacher was Theodore Leschetizky, the great 19th century piano pedagogue, who alongside Franz Liszt, was one of the two most acclaimed piano teachers in Europe in the 1800s. Leschetizky’s teacher was Carl Czerny (think Czerny piano studies for piano students), who was a pupil, devoted friend and assistant to Beethoven. With only three people between myself and Beethoven, I consider that I am part of a treasured link to the musical traditions of the past and today’s world of musical expression. Horszowski shared specific details with his students that Leschetizky told him came directly from Beethoven himself. It has been a privilege to be a direct part of this tradition. My students are excited when they learn it. They all express delight in being part of the chain.
The Struggle with Deafness and Human Potential In Beethoven’s middle period, when he had reached his maturity as a composer, he fully embraced the ideals of Romanticism surrounding his artistic environment. During this time, he was keenly aware of his hearing loss and had already faced the potential tragic consequences that could result from his deafness. His famous letter to his brothers, the Heiligenstadt Testament, outlining his suffering, was written in 1802. By 1804 he had regained confidence in his ability to compose, having discovered 20 MuPhiEpsilon.org
that his deafness would not be a hindrance to his future work. Transcending tragedy to create great music is as relevant today as 252 years ago. Beethoven’s genius surpasses any handicaps faced during his life, and he continues to provide inspiration to those who suffer hearing loss in addition to other obstacles that might seem insurmountable. Beethoven’s Piano Sonata, Op. 53, the “Waldstein,” was completed in 1804 and is an important example of the decade from 1803-1812, also called his “Heroic” period. I performed this work for the virtual 2021 Mu Phi Epsilon Convention because it exemplifies his artistic development during the period when he transcended his deafness. At the time of composing “Waldstein,” he understood that there would probably be no medical improvement from his deafness. His human suffering notwithstanding, this technically challenging, virtuosic work represents the first of the sonatas from this period, a time when his hearing loss was imminent, but had not yet completely taken over. The allegro con brio, the first of the three movements, is exciting and energetic, a demonstration of Beethoven’s mastery of sonata form and brilliant piano writing. The original second movement, ultimately published as the Andante favori, WoO 57, was replaced by a short adagio in 6/8 time, the introduzione, which now serves as the introduction to the rondo finale movement. This adagio functions as a recitative before the aria in an opera, and without a final authentic cadence in its home key of F major, leads directly into the opening theme of the third movement. The rondo begins with one of the most exquisite themes in the history of music, demonstrating Beethoven’s ultimate significance to music during any century, past, present and future. These two movements fit perfectly together. With its passionate contrasts, the rondo has among its unique technical demands an original use of pedal, and in the coda, glissando octaves in both hands. Beethoven first met his close friend and patron, Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein, while still a youth in his native city of Bonn in 1788 through the Breuning family, those
