Description
Haydn left more than sixty keyboard sonatas, and Hob.XVI:27 is a mid-sized one in three movements; this lively Allegro con brio is its first movement. It belongs to the period when keyboard players were moving from the harpsichord to the fortepiano, and its clear writing suits either instrument.
In G major and 2/4, it is a lively movement that, true to its Allegro con brio marking, spins out one witty motif after another, in the clear sonata form typical of the early Classical period. Much of it is conversational, the two hands trading motifs as the movement moves forward.
It is rated intermediate, and packs 1,475 notes into 2 minutes 23 seconds. It calls for both crisp rhythm and a singing line, along with the concentration to shape every detail while holding the tempo. The range is B1 to D6. Use the hand colours to follow the dialogue between the hands, and practise the fast passages by marking them off with the A-B loop and slowing the playback, which makes it easier to even out the small figures.
Piano sonatas from Haydn's output of roughly 60, important works that helped shape the development of the Classical sonata.
Browse all songs in Piano Sonatas →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Franz Joseph Haydn was a leading Classical-era composer from Austria who spent much of his career in service to the Esterhazy family. Often called the "father of the symphony" and the "father of the string quartet," he helped establish the Viennese Classical style with clear forms and witty invention. His numerous keyboard sonatas also served as a bridge to Mozart and Beethoven. This site includes every movement of the Sonatas Hob. XVI:27 and XVI:28.
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