Description
The third movement is a brilliant Presto finale that brings Sonata Hob.XVI:28 to a bright close. After the calm first movement and the graceful minuet, its role is to sum up the whole with speed and sparkle.
In E-flat major and 2/4, nimble figures run on without pause, the short two-beat bar giving it a brisk drive. Centred on its bright home key and written with Classical clarity, it is a movement with plenty to listen for.
It is rated intermediate. With far more notes than the minuet before it (1,118), it demands the technique to play fast passages with an even touch to the end. Combining a steady tempo with fine finger work makes all the difference to how convincing it sounds, and you need the concentration to keep up the momentum through about two and a half minutes. The range is A♭1 to E♭6. Slow the playback to check that the notes are even, look at how the figures group in the score view, and repeat the hard spots with the A-B loop as you work towards the full tempo.
Piano sonatas from Haydn's output of roughly 60, important works that helped shape the development of the Classical sonata.
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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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