Quasi una Fantasia (Moonlight Sonata)

Piano Sonata no. 14,  or Quasi una Fantasia, or the Moonlight Sonata is one of the most famous works of Ludwig van Beethoven during the late classical century, which was also dedicated to his pupil, Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. The origin of the title "Moonlight Sonata" came from the German critic and poet, Ludwig Rellstab, likening the first movement to the effect of the moonlight shining upon Lake Lucern. The Moonlight Sonata consists of three forms, Adagio Sostenuto (1st movement), Allegretto (2nd movement), and Presto Agitato (3rd movement). Also, it is my next recital piece.

The first movement sounds like a nocturne. It's warm, slow, quiet, and like those ones I hear from Twilight. I've already completed the whole movement. The only thing though is that it has a dissonant sound, due to that Beethoven did not put pedal marks. During Beethoven's day, the pianos has less sustain than the modern piano. So most pianists today add pedals on the whole movement, which also I've been thinking to add harmony.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWKVrqPzT9s&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL87199E65DFDBCFB1

The second movement is like a scherzo and a trio, it's also kind a jumpy. I've finished also the whole movement, but I am still polishing some certain parts though.



The third movement shows a lively, loud, and fast harmony. I've been still working on this movement because I started studying this piece 3 days ago. I already completed the job of the right hand, only thing is that I have to memorize it. Now I've been working the job of the left hand, and I am kind a having a hard time because my left hand seems still to be lazy, but I can complete it as soon as I could.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR0_y0VIpfY

Music...... HAS POWER!!!!!! (For those composers, musicians, and listeners out there)

After experiencing a violent thunder storm just last Wednesday and Thursday, I've started questioning myself, "Does music have power?" When the music grows louder, when drums clash, when the string instruments run up and down loudly, when the horns surprise, and when flutes hum like an angry eagle, looking for someone to devour. Music creates an emotion or mood that makes us feel happy, sad, angry, excited, afraid, etc. It also relates with what you feel or think about the environment, the weather, nature, the universe, and other things. That is the power of music. But how about this, music can make something more worse? I'll tell you about what happened when I was experiencing a frightening thunderstorm.

Wednesday night, I was in our house with my parents. After dinner, a thunderstorm came. I was washing the dishes that time, then I took my phone to play music so that I could wash the dishes faster. I played the 5th Symphony of Beethoven, the 1st movement. But before I tell you what happened, let me tell you about the 5th Symphony. When Beethoven was composing the 5th Symphony, he can't think of how would the symphony would be. When he was at home, he heard someone knocking on his door, and also made the exact sound of what his symphony would be. While Beethoven was walking back home, a strong thunderstorm came by. The thunder was so loud. Then after, Beethoven combined the knock of a door and a thunderstorm in 1st movement of his 5th Symphony. So as what I was saying, while playing the 5th symphony, the rain grew stronger, the winds blew faster, and when the fortes came, that's when the thunder strikes. There were also blackouts. When the song ended, the rain shoot tiny droplets, the winds calmed, and the thunder seized shouting.

I woke up 7:00 am, it was Thursday, I was alone in the house, and I switched the T.V. on. News says another thunderstorm is expected to occur at noon. 1:00 pm, as I was waiting, I played again the 5th Symphony along with the thunderstorm. As what happened on Wednesday, the weather grew worse! So, that made me think. Music is something powerful. It's like words. Once you say something, it happens, like the movie Home Alone. It kind a also relates to Beethoven's belief, "Music is a higher revelation." At first, it was a bit confusing, then I understood. Music can affect human kind when one sings it with heart.

So this my reminder to composers, musicians, and listeners, be careful of songs you compose, play or sing, or listen, because once you sing it with passion, it can affect you. It can affect good to you, it can also be bad. - Iolo von Traugott

La Campanella (Paganini-Liszt)

When I search mostly about difficult piano pieces in Youtube, usually I see this song in related posts about the song I searched. They call it, "La Campanella, Paganini-Liszt." Well, there is a story between me and that song. When I saw the title in Youtube, the title just came in my mind, but I did not listen to the song. When every time I trip, or get surprised, or some major or minor problem is coming, I usually say, "Ah LA CAMPELLA!" Before, usually I say "Campella" instead of "Campanella" because the spelling of the song did not got in my mind that much and yes, some European languages are hard to pronounce, like Italian and French.

Just this morning, I searched Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata in the 3rd movement in Youtube because it is the piece that I am going to play next in the piano, and again I saw La Campanella in the related posts. Then that made curious. I was expecting something unexpected in the song. First it was played a bit slowly and mysteriously, when it came to the middle part, the song went up and down the keyboard fast. It was AWESOME!!!!

The La Campanella is a violin concerto composed by Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) which was translated by Franz Liszt (1811-1886) in the piano. When I heard the violin concerto La Campanella by Paganini, the violin was too staccato, some pizzicatos, and it was complicated. But Paganini as a great violinist, I say, his song is a work of a genius.

Truly, Liszt is a great pianist and a genius. He had revised a lot of non piano concertos and symphonies into an epic piano solo. His revised version of the La Campanella shows his genius and as a virtuoso in the piano. Oh, I really want to be like them. What an awesome feeling if I were in their time.

About me.

Hi, I am Iolo, and I am 13 years old, height is 5 ft. and 2 in., weight is 40 kilos, I am obsessed to classical music, also obsessed to minions, and I always forget to drink my vitamins and also sleep at noon. I was born July 28, 2000, of course, year of the dragon and I am born in the Republic of the Philippines. I am home schooled, my friends are home schooled (yeah, yeah, too obvious), and I'm just grade 6. I am supposed to be grade 7 for now, but the past times I was adjusting, due to that I got used to conventional schools and it is hard for me to do "independent studying." But nowadays I got used to it.


I wanted to study the violin when I was 8, but Teacher Ayen, a friend of my mom, suggests that if I wanted to study violin, I should start at the piano first. After a few days, I told myself that I wanted to be really good in the piano, but the fact I lacked practice and love for doing it did not made me good that easy. When I was 10, mom introduced me to classical music, and it changed my whole life, realizing what my talent was. Starting that time, I really loved classical music and I always practiced the piano with passion, which sometimes my hands are on the keyboard for 5 hours. From all the classical composer I know, my favorite is Beethoven, because his music is very unique and it shows great passion despite that he is deaf.

But though classical music is my pre-occupation, my parents always told me that in all things and all my talents, I shall glorify, thank, and praise God and give myself to Him, because He is the One who gave my talent of music.