Beethoven completed the ‘Moonlight’ Sonata in 1801 and it was published in 1802. He
composed it, and expected it to be played at that time, on the German and Austrian pianos
with which he was familiar.
Beethoven would have composed the ‘Moonlight’ Sonata on a piano with knee-levers. I
have played a reproduction Mozart piano with knee levers and while they are not heavy
to press up with the knees they are not very ergonomic and very quickly cause strain to
the upper part of one’s legs. To have pressed them up unchanged for the six minutes
duration of the first movement would have been rather uncomfortable for the pianist.
This may support an argument that Beethoven did not intend this.
Recordings with unchanged pedal
Roger Woodward and Tessa Birnie in the 1970s each independently recorded the
‘Moonlight’ Sonata. In each case they performed the first movement with unchanged
pedal throughout and Miss Birnie transposed her performance down a semitone to be
nearer the actual pitch of Beethoven’s day.
I am not aware of any recordings prior to the 1970s in which the first movement was
performed with unchanged pedalling.
Modification of unchanged pedal on modern piano
Of those who support the unchanged pedal nearly all support some modification to the
unchanged pedalling when playing the first movement on the modern piano. Such
modification includes partially raising the dampers or delayed pedal changing or both.
The modified unchanged pedalling, however, still produces some slight degree of
blurring on a modern piano.
Mute stop theory
The mute stop, to be found on some pianos of Beethoven’s day, involved the
interposition of a strip of felt between the hammers and the strings which produced a soft,
muffled sound.
The reviewer of a piano recital by Vladimir de Pachmann at St James’s Hall, London on
15 November 1892 said this about Pachmann’s performance of the first movement of the
‘Moonlight’ Sonata:
‘Beethoven’s express directions that the first movement should be played “Senza
Sordini” (without using the soft pedal) [italics supplied] was coolly disregarded and the
soft pedal was freely used - or abused.’
Dr Nettheim’s note to this on his internet site stated:
‘The reviewer was unaware that the term ‘Senza Sordini’, when used with respect to the
piano, means ‘without dampers’ thus with the damper (right or “loud” pedal depressed.’