Piano Sonata No. 8 (Mozart)

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Piano Sonata in A minor
No. 8
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart Sonata Number 8 in A Minor K310 first page of autograph.jpeg
First page of the autograph
Key A minor
Catalogue K. 310 / 300d
Style Classical period
Composed1778 (1778)
MovementsThree (Allegro maestoso, Andante cantabile con espressione, Presto)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K. 310 / 300d, was written in 1778. The sonata is the first of only two Mozart piano sonatas in a minor key (the other being No. 14 in C minor, K. 457). It was composed in the summer of 1778 around the time of his mother's death, one of the most tragic times of his life. [1]

Contents

Background

Little is known about the precise circumstances surrounding the composition of the sonata; unlike the earlier Sonata in C major, K. 309/284b, it was little mentioned in his correspondence. [2] The surviving manuscript was written using the same type of paper used for the Symphony No. 31 in D major, K. 297/300a, which Mozart purchased while in Paris. [3]

The sonata is a rare minor key composition in Mozart's catalogue. Composed alongside the Violin Sonata No. 21 in E minor, K. 304/300c, it has been suggested that the sudden death of Mozart's mother may have led to the more sombre mood found in these pieces. [4]

Structure

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