Beethoven, fantasy and meaning

Explaining musical notation and its unwritten hidden meanings is a prime aim of both theoretical and interpretative research of music work. The subject of this research is Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata Op. 27 No. 2. Theoretical background includes a thorough analysis of its authentic music sheets and several editions throughout the 19 th and 20 th centuries, together with the review of some genuine performances. This research uses the lens of fantasy to analyze Beethoven's most popular piano piece. The creative potential of the fantasy form, signaled by the very subtitle Sonata quasi una Fantasia, is linked to the author's attempts to reach more freedom of expression. The elements of fantasy can serve as a base for highlighting some specific interspaces of individual beats of music flow. Therefore, analyzing this Sonata in the frame of Beethoven's private life implies an inextricable connection between the piece and his life, which should not be neglected. It is widely accepted that Piano Sonata Op. 27 No. 2, in C sharp minor, popularly known as "Mondshine" , emphasizes a dreamy sentimentality. However, the poetics and tragic epilogue of devotional piece Die Beterin written by German poet Johann Gottfried Seume paved the way for the interpretation of this Beethoven's music work. This essay reveals that fantasy principles become more effective in the pieces in which they are not expected, contrary to the case of traditional sonata form. "Fantasy form" , as a channel for rebelling against the old standards, frees sonata form from its patterns and brings it closer to the ideal of romanticism. With its tendency to step away and escape reality transcending to the realm of dreams and freeing itself form rigid schematic frames, fantasy is close to the need of contemporary men to avoid ever increasing aggressiveness and break free. Freedom is indeed the main motto of fantasy and essential striving of any authentic piece of art.