Description
Sonata K. 331 was long assigned to Mozart's Paris period of 1778, but a fragment of the autograph found in Budapest in 2014 has moved the dating: it is now thought to have been written in Vienna around 1783. Artaria published it in 1784 together with K. 330 and K. 332. Containing no movement in sonata form at all, its design is exceptional among Mozart's sonatas.
The second movement is a minuet in A major and triple meter — the one traditional dance movement, set between the variation-form first movement and the Rondo alla turca. The trio changes key and thins the texture, setting itself against the fuller chords of the minuet proper. With the repeats it runs past five minutes, making it the longest movement of the sonata.
An intermediate movement with few technical traps, its difficulty is length. A minuet is a dance meter, and laying out three even beats quickly turns monotonous. Keeping the weight on the first beat while carrying the music forward by the phrase, and finding a different colour for the trio, is what holds five minutes together.
Mozart's most famous piano sonata, consisting of a theme-and-variations first movement, a minuet, and the celebrated "Turkish March."
Browse all songs in Piano Sonata No.11 K.331 →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, and achieved fame as a child prodigy before establishing his career in Vienna. In a life of only 35 years, he produced masterpieces across symphonies, operas, chamber music, and keyboard works. His style combines clarity and formal balance with rich emotional depth. This site includes movements of the Sonatas K. 545 and K. 331, the Fantasia in D minor, K. 397, and several fugues.
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