Description
This is the first variation to change tempo. Marked Adagio, it brings the procession of same-speed variations to a halt. It is also the longest of the six, standing as a reflective pause before the Allegro finale that follows.
In A major and 6/8, the note values are finely subdivided within the slow tempo and both hands carry ornamentation. The left hand has more notes than in the other variations, written less as support than as a second melodic line. The theme's harmonic progression is still intact here; all that has changed is the way time passes.
An intermediate variation, and the slow tempo does not make it easy. How the ornaments are distributed within the beat, and where the pauses fall, are exposed far more nakedly than in the fast variations. Can the small notes be sung slowly rather than played quickly? How much depth the whole set has is decided largely by the handling of this one variation.
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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