Piano Sonata No. 2 (Mozart)

Last updated
Piano Sonata in F major
No. 2
by W. A. Mozart
Martini bologna mozart 1777.jpg
The young composer, a 1777 copy of a lost painting
Key F major
Catalogue K. 280 / 189e
Style Classical period
Composed1774 (1774)
MovementsThree (Allegro assai, Adagio, Presto)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 2 in F major, K 280 / 189e, (1774) is a piano sonata in three movements. The work was written down along with other piano sonatas during the visit Mozart paid to Munich for the production of La finta giardiniera from late 1774 to the beginning of the following March. [1] A typical performance of the sonata takes about 14 minutes.

Contents

Allegro assai

The first movement of the sonata is in sonata form, and consists of three themes of new material, a development, in which the themes from the exposition are varied and combined, and a recapitulation, in which the exposition is repeated and varied. The sonata begins with the first theme of the exposition, which itself begins with a forte arpeggiated chord, followed by three thirds. The theme next contains a series of falling quarter notes over block chords and Alberti bass, rapid sixteenth notes, and falling fifths. The second theme consists of legato triplets in the right hand over octaves in the left. The theme is somewhat chromatic, with frequent accidentals. The third theme is mostly quarter and eighth notes with an irregular accompaniment. The exposition ends with a C major chord. The development and recapitulation follow, varying and combining these themes before restating them, as is normal in sonata form.

Adagio

The second movement of the sonata is an adagio in F minor. It is the only piano sonata by Mozart with a slow movement in a minor key. While not marked as such, the movement is a siciliana, [2] which Mozart would later revisit in the slow movement of his A major piano concerto (K.488). The mood of this movement is mournful and tragic, with the opening somewhat resembling a funeral march. Estonian composer Arvo Pärt's 1992 (rev. 2005) piece Mozart's Adagio reimagined the music from this movement in a work for violin, cello and piano. [3]

Presto

The sonata ends with a presto (sonata form) in F major. It is relatively short for a presto, taking between two and three minutes to play.

Related Research Articles

Sonata form is a musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of the 18th century.

The Piano Sonata No. 16 in C major, K. 545, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was described by Mozart in his own thematic catalogue as "for beginners", and it is sometimes known by the nickname Sonata facile or Sonata semplice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piano Sonata No. 12 (Mozart)</span> Piano sonata by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major, K. 332 (300k) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was published in 1784 along with the Piano Sonata No. 10 in C major, K. 330, and Piano Sonata No. 11, K. 331. Mozart wrote these sonatas either while visiting Munich in 1781, or during his first two years in Vienna. Some believe, however that Mozart wrote this and the other sonatas during a summer 1783 visit to Salzburg made for the purpose of introducing his wife, Constanze to his father, Leopold. All three sonatas were published in Vienna in 1784 as Mozart's Op. 6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piano Sonata No. 29 (Beethoven)</span> Longest Beethoven piano sonata, composed in 1818

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29 in B major, Op. 106 is a piano sonata that is widely viewed as one of the most important works of the composer's third period and among the greatest piano sonatas of all time. Completed in 1818, it is often considered to be Beethoven's most technically challenging piano composition and one of the most demanding solo works in the classical piano repertoire. The first documented public performance was in 1836 by Franz Liszt in the Salle Erard in Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony No. 35 (Mozart)</span> Musical work in 4 movements composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385, also known as the Haffner Symphony, was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1782. It was commissioned by the Haffners, a prominent Salzburg family, for the occasion of the ennoblement of Sigmund Haffner the Younger. The Haffner Symphony should not be confused with the eight-movement Haffner Serenade, another piece Mozart wrote on commission from the same family in 1776.

The Symphony No. 98 in B major, Hoboken I/98, is the sixth of the twelve London symphonies composed by Joseph Haydn. It was completed in 1792 as part of the set of symphonies composed on his first trip to London. It was first performed at the Hanover Square Rooms in London on 2 March 1792.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piano Sonata No. 1 (Beethoven)</span> Piano sonata composed by Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1, was written in 1795 and dedicated to Joseph Haydn. It was published simultaneously with his second and third piano sonatas in 1796.

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 11 in B major, Op. 22, was composed in 1800, and published two years later. Beethoven regarded it as the best of his early sonatas, though some of its companions in the cycle have been at least as popular with the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piano Sonata No. 14 (Mozart)</span>

The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor, K. 457, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed and completed in 1784, with the official date of completion recorded as 14 October 1784 in Mozart's own catalogue of works. It was published in December 1785 together with the Fantasy in C minor, K. 475, as Opus 11 by the publishing firm Artaria, Mozart's main Viennese publisher.

The Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 6, by Alexander Scriabin, was the third of twelve piano sonatas that he composed. It was completed in 1892. The music is emotionally charged as much of the music was written after Scriabin had damaged his right hand through excessive piano playing.

The Piano Sonata in A minor D. 845 (Op.42) by Franz Schubert is a sonata for solo piano. Composed in May 1825 and entitled Premiere Grande Sonata, it is the first of three sonatas published during the composer's lifetime, the others being D.850 and D.894. Conceived as a set, these works were composed during what was reportedly a period of relatively good health and spirits for Schubert, and are praised for their quality and ambition. This first sonata in particular marks a significant step toward the composer’s mature piano sonata style; the format and several characteristic stylistic elements continue through the last.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piano Sonata No. 10 (Mozart)</span> Piano sonata by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 10 in C major, K. 330 / 300h, is one of the three works in the cycle of piano sonatas K.330-331-332. The sonata was composed in 1783, when Mozart was 27 years old. It was published, with the other two sonatas by Artaria in 1784. A typical performance of this sonata lasts around twenty minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schubert's last sonatas</span> Compositions by Franz Schubert

Franz Schubert's last three piano sonatas, D 958, 959 and 960, are his last major compositions for solo piano. They were written during the last months of his life, between the spring and autumn of 1828, but were not published until about ten years after his death, in 1838–39. Like the rest of Schubert's piano sonatas, they were mostly neglected in the 19th century. By the late 20th century, however, public and critical opinion had changed, and these sonatas are now considered among the most important of the composer's mature masterpieces. They are part of the core piano repertoire, appearing regularly on concert programs and recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piano Sonata No. 1 (Mozart)</span>

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 1 in C major, K. 279 / 189d (1774), is a piano sonata in three movements. It was written down, except for the first part of the opening movement, during the visit Mozart paid to Munich for the production of La finta giardiniera from late 1774 to the beginning of the following March. It is the first of his 18 piano sonatas. A typical performance of the sonata takes about 14 minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piano Sonata No. 4 (Mozart)</span>

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major, K. 282 / 189g, (1774) is a sonata in three movements:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piano Sonata No. 5 (Mozart)</span>

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 5 in G major, K. 283 / 189h, (1774) is a piano sonata in three movements:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piano Sonata No. 6 (Mozart)</span> 1775 piano sonata by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 6 in D major, K. 284 / 205b, (1775) is a sonata in three movements:

The Piano Sonata in E major, D 157 is a piano sonata with three movements composed by Franz Schubert in February 1815. The Allegro D 154 is an early version of its first movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony No. 30 (Mozart)</span>

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote Symphony No. 30 in D major, K. 202/186b in Salzburg, completing it on May 5, 1774.

Violin Sonata No. 33 in E-flat major was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Vienna and listed in his personal catalogues of his works on December 12, 1785. It was published on its own by Franz Anton Hoffmeister, a German composer and music publisher to whom Mozart's String Quartet No. 20 is dedicated. The muscologist Marius Flothuis states that although much is unknown about the history of this sonata, it is certainly "one of the most mature works in Mozart's whole chamber output". Carl Friedrich Cramer in a 1783 review of this and Mozart's other mature piano and violin sonatas praised the style of composing for instruments in a democratic manner, fitting for the style, requiring skill and talent of both instrumentalists. Indeed, Manafu rates these sonatas as of crucial importance in the development of the genre.

References

  1. Beach 1994, p.  125.
  2. Badura-Skoda 2004, pp.  41–42.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2016-09-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Sources