Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata: 2 Hours Version

In one evening, late in the night, Mozart was standing in his study room, alone, just relaxing after finishing the last piano lesson with one of his students, when he heard a knock on the door. He opened and saw a young man standing there, dressed in very modest but clean outfit.

The young man asked Mozart for piano lessons. At the time, Mozart was a very famous composer and piano player. He was also a very generous man. He invited the young man inside and offered to give a free introduction piano lesson.

The young man smiled a little surprised and immediately accepted. Mozart then asked the young man if he took any piano lessons before. The young man stated that he did learn a little bit on his own.

Mozart invited then the young man to play anything, just to evaluate his knowledge. The young man did not have anything prepared. Mozart then said: "Just improvise something. Anything.".

The young man sat in front of the piano, looked at the keys, then looked outside through the open window in the night sky, looked at the full moon a few moments, and then started playing randomly, moving his fingers over the piano keys with ease.

The improvisation was mostly an arpeggio repetition with different variations, a sad song. Never taking his eyes off the beautiful moon, the young man played with passion, and sadness, a song inspired maybe by the suffering of many years of going to bed hungry in the evenings, and getting off the bed in the mornings with no reason to be either happy or optimist. A sad young life that was going nowhere. A life that will soon be forgotten, a meaningless existence of a meaningless lost soul. The song lasted for a good few minutes.

The song was beautiful!

Mozart was listening, lost in total concentration and admiration. When the young man finished his little improvisation, the silence took over the atmosphere in the room. His eyes were still starring at the moon, embarrassed and afraid to acknowledge the reality of the moment.

Mozart was fascinated in admiration. He said to the young man in a deep and smooth voice: "Maestro, there is nothing I can teach you at this piano!" ...

The little song later became pretty much known all around the world. Even hundreds of years later we love to hear it. It is called the "Moonlight Sonata".

And the young man? His name was Beethoven.

And the original name of this piece given by Beethoven was in fact "Quasi una fantasia".