Hi Everyone!! This article will share The Moonlight Sonata Questions & Answers.
In my previous posts, I have shared the questions & answers of Daffodils and The Inchcape Rock so, you can check these posts as well.
The Moonlight Sonata Questions & Answers
World Galaxy
- Ceased – stopped
- Sonata – a piece of music usually divided into three or four parts which are played at different speeds
- Harpsichord – an old type of musical instrument similar to a piano, but with strings that are pulled, not hit
- Composers – people who write music
- I beg your pardon – used to say sorry to someone
- Play by ear – to play music by remembering how it sounds rather than by reading music sheets
- Timidly – shyly
- Wavered – became weak
- Flickered – kept going on and off as it burned
- Sprites – small creatures with magic powers
- Fraught with – filled with (usually, something unpleasant)
Question 1: What happened when Beethoven and his friend were strolling through the streets of Vienna?
Answer: When Beethoven and his friend were strolling through the streets of Vienna, Beethoven heard the sound from his sonata in F.
Question 2: What made Beethoven decide to go into the cottage?
Answer: When the girl said that “yet I wish for once in my life to hear some really good music,” this made Beethoven decide to go into the cottage.
Question 3: What is a sonata? Why did the girl sob at the end of the sonata?
Ans: A sonata is a composition of music divided into three or four parts, played at different speeds. The girl played Beethoven’s sonata in F and at the end was overcome with grief as she could not attend even one of Beethoven’s concerts because of her poverty.
Question 4: How did the young girl learn to play music?
Answer: The young girl learnt to play music by listening to a lady practicing near her house. During summer evenings, her windows were often open and she walked to and fro outside to listen.
Question 5: How did the young man’s behaviour change during the course of the evening?
Answer: Beethoven’s manner was so friendly and his voice was so kind that a smile took the place of the frown on the young man’s face.
The Moonlight Sonata Questions & Answers
Question 6: Why did Beethoven leave soon after he stopped playing?
Answer: Beethoven left soon after he stopped playing to write out that sonata while the music was still in his mind.
Question 7: Why was this incident important in the life of Beethoven?
Answer: This incident was important in the life of Beethoven because at that night in the young girl’s cottage he composed the very beautiful melody ‘The Moonlight Sonata’ which made him the greatest composer of the world.
Question 8: Read and answer the questions:
“Ah my sister,” said another voice, “why wish for something you cannot have? We can barely pay our rent.”
(a) Who is the speaker? Who is the person speaking to?
Answer: The speaker is the girl’s brother. He is speaking to the girl.
(b) What ‘wish’ is the speaker talking about?
Answer: The wish he is talking about is the girl’s yearning to attend one of Beethoven’s concerts.
(c) Why can the wish not be fulfilled?
Answer: It may be difficult to fulfill her wish as attending the great musician Beethoven’s concert would cost them money. From his response we can make out that they were very poor as they were barely able to pay their rent.
Question 9: Read and answer the questions:
“Shall I play for you? Shall I give you a concert?”
(a) Who is ‘I’ in the above lines?
Answer: ‘I’ in the above lines is Beethoven.
(b) Why does the person want to give a concert?
Answer: He wants to give the girl a concert in order to fulfill her wish to attend at least one of Beethoven’s concerts.
(c) What quality of the speaker comes to light through the above lines?
Answer: He, being a musician, is drawn towards good music. Further, in spite of being a reputed musician, he is humble and compassionate to the poor, blind girl, seeing her deep interest in music.
The Moonlight Sonata Questions & Answers
Question 10: Why did the girl blush when Beethoven said he had heard her music?
Answer: The girl had just finished playing the beautiful sonata composed by Beethoven when Beethoven and his friend suddenly entered the cottage. When he appreciated her music, she blushed as she did not expect that remark and that too from strangers, especially when one of them claimed to be a musician.
Question 11: Describe the way Beethoven played the Moonlight Sonata.
Answer: The girl begged Beethoven to stay and play for them. When he sat to play again, he saw the bright moon and the sky with stars. It was such an enchanting picture that he decided to compose a sonata to the moonlight that very moment. The sad and the lovely melody he played filled the room gently. He created a fairyland with the different movements and speed of the sonata. No one seemed to see the moon gliding behind the clouds. They instead visualised fairies and sprites dancing merrily around in the room. There was mesmerising, melancholic music everywhere, filling the hearts with wonder and awe. That was the impact the beautiful music had on everyone present in the room.
Question 12: How did the girl become the inspiration for Beethoven’s masterpiece ‘Moonlight Sonata’?
Answer: Beethoven wanted to play for the girl and played on to the silent and enraptured girl and her brother. It was then that the flame of the candle went out and soft moonlight filled the room with radiance. After the girl identified him, he rose to leave. But on the insistence of the girl, he sat back and played a sad and lovely melody. It was an ethereal experience for those present in the room. After playing for the girl, Beethoven rushed home and wrote the sonata he had played for the girl. He had written the Moonlight Sonata! If he had not met the girl and played for her in the moonlight, the sonata may not have been created.
Question 13: How was Beethoven instrumental in bringing cheer in the life of the girl and her brother?
Answer: Before Beethoven entered the cottage, we are given a very dull and sad picture of the life led by the girl and her brother. His entry totally changed the atmosphere and made both very happy and cheerful. He fulfilled the secret wish of the girl by playing one of his best sonatas for them. He enlivened the sad and dull life of the siblings with his enchanting music.
Question 14: Was it sympathy or was it music that drew Beethoven towards the girl? Justify.
Answer: All great musicians get drawn to good music. It was no different for Beethoven. But when he overheard the girl’s wish, he entered the room and offered to play for her. Further, when he realised she was blind, he didn’t hesitate to play to the girl’s contentment. Here we can see his kind, compassionate nature.
So, these were The Moonlight Sonata Questions & Answers.