Which composer wrote the 'Moonlight Sonata'?

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote the “Moonlight Sonata,” formally titled Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2. He completed it in 1801 and dedicated it to his pupil, Countess Giulietta Guicciardi.

Beethoven did not give the piece its famous English nickname. The title “Moonlight Sonata” became associated with the work after the German poet and music critic Ludwig Rellstab compared its opening movement with moonlight. The original publication instead described it as Sonata quasi una fantasia, or “sonata in the manner of a fantasy.”

The sonata has three movements. Its quiet, slow opening movement is the best known, but the finale is much more turbulent and technically demanding. Another common misconception is that the entire work is gentle or dreamy; Beethoven designed the music with an unusual end-weighted structure, saving its most forceful energy for the final movement.