Some months later I saw for the first time Schnabel’s edition of the Beethoven Sonatas.
In individual footnotes Schnabel advocated literal adherence to Beethoven’s pedal
markings. In the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata, Schnabel marked in each bar
the traditional pedalling and did not indicate by footnote or otherwise that this in any way
diverged from Beethoven’s intention as embodied in Beethoven’s directions for the use
of the pedal.
On studying Schnabel’s edition of the Beethoven Sonatas, and trying out Beethoven’s
pedal markings literally, I came to the view that all Beethoven’s pedal markings should
be taken literally and not modified, even on the modern piano. I implemented this view
when studying the Beethoven piano sonatas, variations and bagatelles, and the piano parts
of his concertos, violin sonatas and trios.
At about this time, I also obtained and studied the Beethoven piano concertos in the
Schirmer edition which was a reprint of the Bärenreiter edition. The Schirmer edition
includes, as a footnote to the slow movement of the C minor piano concerto, Czerny’s
comments as to the pedalling of the slow movement and this where I first saw them. In
relation to the unchanged pedalling question, the Willis, Tovey and Schnabel sonata
editions (and the Schirmer concerto edition) were the totality of the materials I had to
work with at that time and for some years afterwards.
Subsequently, on a number of occasions, I played the first movement of the ‘Moonlight’
Sonata with unchanged pedal on a Bechstein upright piano. This was based on the view
that this truly represented Beethoven’s intention, even though it conflicted with
Schnabel’s apparent interpretation of Beethoven’s intention.
By 1991, however, I had changed my view because in December of that year I recorded a
performance on a Steinway grand piano of the ‘Moonlight’ Sonata in the first movement
of which I followed the traditional pedalling.
Summary of nineteenth century documentary sources
I have considered Beethoven’s original intention in the context of the pianos with which
he was familiar in 1801 when he completed the ‘Moonlight’ Sonata, bearing in mind their
weak tone and method of raising the dampers. Whether Beethoven’s original intention
may have changed over the years as piano tone became stronger can only be a matter of
speculation as nothing has come down to us as to this.
I have raised, considered and discussed, so far as I am aware, all the possible arguments
for and against and have given weight to Schindler’s view and to an interpretation of the
views expressed by Czerny and by Bülow & Lebert. These were the written nineteenth
century sources that have come down to us and were closest to the Beethoven tradition.
Czerny commented in 1830:
‘The pedal indicated is to be used again with each new bass note’.