Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata for Guitar (Free PDF)

Beethoven on Guitar

Moonlight Sonata (Op. 27, No. 2) – Single Movement “Adagio sostenuto” or “Claro de Luna” by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). Free PDF sheet music or tab edition arranged for classical guitar by Francisco Tárrega (1852–1909). Level: Late-Intermediate to Advanced. It’s not fast but there are some difficult chord changes and awkward parts (Grade 9).

Here’s a free sheet music edition of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata for Guitar arranged by Francisco Tárrega’s (1852–1909). I’m made some minimal revisions. It’s not the easiest arrangement but does sound nice. The awkwardness comes from the difficult chord changes rather than speed. Nevertheless, it’s a part of the history of period arranging on guitar. I’ve made a free copy to attract guitarists to the site and a tablature (tab) version for those who need it. 

My Free PDF Sheet Music Edition

My TAB Edition

Video Performance

I don’t have a video for this yet but here is an excellent performance by Russian guitarist Anton Baranov playing Tarrega’s arrangement of the Moonlight Sonata (Op. 27, No. 2) via his Youtube.

Video Lesson

Video Lesson Link.

Bradford Werner
Bradford Werner

Bradford Werner is a classical guitarist and music publisher from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He originally created this site for his students at the Victoria Conservatory of Music but now shares content worldwide. Curating guitar content helps students absorb the culture, musical ideas, and technique of the classical guitar. Bradford also has a YouTube channel with over 94,000 subscribers and 13 million views. He taught classical guitar at the Victoria Conservatory of Music for 16 years and freelanced in Greater Victoria for 20 years and now dedicates much of his time curating content online and helping connect the classical guitar community. See more at his personal website.

2 Comments

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  1. The mention of the 7th fret (6th string) is an error. On the contrary, it is the 6th fret (6th string) which is an A flat that must be played.

  2. Hi! Bradford!

    This is totally awesome. Thank you for all you do. I’m on measure 13 and trying to get the stretch of the low A on the 7th fret to the bar on the 3rd with a clear high D while maintaining the F and the C. Ouch! The action on my guitar is too high so it’s like weight lifting. Would it be cheating to play the open A on the 5th string? Would is upset the balance of the piece? Also, is there anywhere where I could hear the whole piece? You don’t have a video of where you play the entire piece, do you? You are an excellent player and it would be ideal. Anyway thank you.

    Jay