Czerny commented in 1846:
‘The prescribed pedal must be re-employed at each note in the bass’.
Czerny commented in 1846:
‘ “Beethoven (who publicly played this Concerto in 1803) continued the pedal during the
entire theme, which on the weak-sounding pianofortes of that day, did very well,
especially when the shifting pedal [una corda] was also employed. But now, as the
instruments have acquired a much greater body of tone, we should advise the damper
pedal to be employed anew, at each important change of harmony.”
Czerny made this last comment in relation to the opening theme stated by the piano in the
slow movement of Beethoven’s C minor piano concerto. It is possible that he had similar
views in relation to the first movement of the ‘Moonlight’ Sonata.
Schindler commented in 1860:
1860 ‘Accomplished pianists in the second decade were disturbed by the senza sordini
instruction because by that time the pianos could already produce a fuller tone, and the
performers had at their disposal the pedal which they could use effectively. Czerny,
however, who immediately began to exploit this improvement of the instrument, just as
Chopin did later in his mazurkas, said in the 1830’s when the piano tone had been
considerably increased, that in the first movement of this sonata, “the pedal indicated is to
be used again with each new bass note”. ’
Bülow & Lebert commented in 1894
‘[It is] not advisable ... to take the original directions sempre senza sordini (i.e. without
dampers) too literally.’
All the above sources were against the use of the unchanged pedal on later pianos with
greater tonal resources. It is reasonably clear, however, that they all agreed that
Beethoven’s original intention, as indicated by his directions, was that he did want the
dampers raised and kept raised unchanged throughout the whole of the first movement of
the ‘Moonlight’ Sonata.
Conclusion as to Beethoven’s original intention
I conclude that Beethoven’s original intention, as indicated by his directions, was that he
did want the dampers raised and kept raised unchanged throughout the whole of the first
movement of the ‘Moonlight’ Sonata.
Application to modern piano
Assuming that one accepts this conclusion, one is left with its application to a
performance on a modern piano. Does the pianist keep the pedal down unchanged
throughout, which is the procedure on a modern piano equivalent to raising the dampers
with the knee levers and keeping them raised? Does the pianist use some modification
such as partially raising the pedal or delaying the pedal changes or both? Does the pianist