Piano Sonata No. 18 (Mozart)

The piano sonata in D major, K. 576, was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as part of a set of six for Princess Friederike of Austria, in 1789. A typical performance takes about 15 minutes.

Movements

As was typical of the time, the work is in three movements, in a standard fast, slow, fast order:

1. Allegro

The movement is in sonata form, and begins with both hands in unison, then some trills, and a repeat in e minor, chord II. This material is used and varied for the first theme, and finally cadences to the dominant, where the second theme provides a more graceful contrast to the grandness of the first. The development section includes many different keys, but starts in the dominant. It includes counterpoint and harmonic imbalance and exploration. This gives a feeling of tension, which is the resolved before returning to the recapitulation in the home key. Tension and release was a key aspect of the classical era, and it provided composers with a chance to interrupt cadences, and to really draw out the tension part, in order to create an exciting piece. It also helped to extend melodies as a new theme could be made after the release, as is shown in this movement here.

2. Adagio

This is in the dominant key of A Major, and includes many scalic passages as well as counterpoint. Mozart uses harmonic exploration throughout the sonata such as suspensions, and dissonances. There are some chromatic elements in this movement, and such is common in many of Mozart's later works. Diminished chords are used to help modulate frequently, and a series of keys are cadenced into. These harmonies can also allow more melodic techniques to be used, and also places where Mozart can interrupt a cadence, helping him to be able to extend the movement further. Mozart moves out of the scale often in order to move through different keys. However short transitions create a dissonant effect, but in this case it works well.

3. Allegretto

This has a playful mood and is light in texture, however the articulation is marked carefully and precisely, in order to keep it sounding clear, as was common of the time. It has a playful mood, and is not in sonata form, like the first movement. It is a mix or a rondo and a sonata form. It stars with a first theme, then scalic passages, and then a short series of arpeggios. Then the same material is used for the rest of the piece, as well as including some differences towards the end. There is little harmonic exploration, however it does modulate a little throughout the piece.


Date of this piece

In a letter to a fellow Freemason Michael von Puchberg, dated 12 July 1789, Mozart wrote "meanwhile I am working on six easy piano sonatas for Princess Friederike and six quartets for the King". Hermann Abert believed K. 576 to be one of these sonatas; however, Wolfgang Plath and Wolfgang Rehm stated in the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe that they doubted this, as K. 576 is demanding to play.[1] The sonata would also be Mozart's last.

References

  1. ↑ MozartForum: K576 Piano Sonata in D. Article by Dennis Pajot

External links