DID YOU KNOW?

OVERTURE Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it. — Samuel Johnson, 1775 Beethoven wrote the Moonlight Sonata! Who named it? When and why? These questions had nagged me for some time and were the starting point for this book. The answer in standard music dictionaries was uniformly cold and stark: Moonlight Sonata op . 27, no. 2, a popular name for the piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven. After a lifetime spent in music as a performer, teacher, conductor, and even a writer, I felt there had to be a warmer, more human and informative approach about the subject. The profusion of anecdotal, spurious, speculative, and apocryphal material made me realize that much of it, too often, has nothing to do with the music and was unauthorized by the composer, yet it is applied by publishers, critics, and so-called connoisseurs, all impressed with their own opinions and writings, which achieved a “legitimacy” over a period of time and, in the long run, often leading the listener astray. The esteemed music critic Eduard Hanslick (1825–1904) best summed it up when he said, “The beauty of a musical composition lies wholly and specifically in the music itself . . . It is immanent in the relations of the tones without any reference whatever to extraneous [nonmusical] ideas.” The profusion of nicknames and bogus titles attached to a work is often a hindrance to the listener. This book is my attempt to rectify past “traditions,” which are part of a sea of unwarranted and unfounded arbitrary appellations, not to mention personalized, prejudiced, and romanticized concepts. It is not my intent to scoff at the past but to present the material objectively. The book is designed to be reader and user-friendly, and I have tried as much as possible not to allow my personal feelings to intrude, resisting subjective comments, and always allowing the authors of source materials to speak for themselves, even when they are at variance. As for the format, each entry is constructed so as to be self-contained. Cross-references are designated in bold, in capitals, and in italics. Entries are alphabetized, with indefinite articles placed after the entry and, in common usage, even when a foreign term is involved. I have tried to use normal or usual English terms or common definitions. To use arcane, obscure, or exotic titles and definitions is to proceed down a slippery slope. The choice of entries is, of course, mine, but I attempted to include those entries that are familiar to the average concertgoer or listener. Too many sources reek of nationalism or personal prejudices formed by the writer’s musical background and experiences. I should confess to inserting a few whimsical entries designed to catch the attention of the browser of this book and, hopefully, to elicit a chuckle or two. I used bold type to mark supposition, hearsay, and similar apocryphal information. The seeming profusion of dates, opus numbers, and the like (e.g., K, BWV, WoO) are included to give readers some sense of the chronology or the historical place of a composer or composition and even provide tools should they wish to carry their curiosity further. My intention is to make this book informative and usable and to clear away, if possible, the mists of accumulated nonsense and inaccuracies. Standard easily available sources are the backbone of the entries, yet I do not claim that this book is encyclopedic in nature or scope. In researching the book, I was often led down pathways leading to unexpected hidden treasures. After all, I too am a curious and interested reader. And now for the customary, but to me very pleasant, task of thanking my relatives and friends for enduring my prattling these past four years. First and foremost to Susan Barell for her forbearance deciphering my rambling scrawls. Many thanks to the kind ladies of the East Meadow Public Library for their “Googling” and tolerance with my endless questions. To Burke Smith, MD, and the research librarians at the Library of Congress as well as the Hungarian Cultural Institute, many thanks for solving several knotty problems. My deepest gratitude to Donald Marsden for his expert editing and his stylistic suggestions. For my sons, Joseph and John (listed chronologically), deep appreciation, especially of general concerns and lastly Brad Singer of the Center Moriches Public Library for his indulgence in answering my numerous inquiries. I apologize if I have unintentionally overlooked anyone. And finally, for my dearest Emmy, whose saintly patience and strength made this book possible; no amount of gratitude is possible. PS: To the panjandrums of the musical world: “Guard against erroneous, poetical interpretation” (Franz Liszt). PPS: To the reader: opinion, criticism, and taste are often a projection of a writer’s concept, imagination, or sympathy with a favored or unfavored creative work or subject. Seymour L. Benstock, PhD, 2008 East Meadow, New York