Description
The first movement of the Sonata No. 14 of 1784. Only two of Mozart's completed piano sonatas are in a minor key, and this is one of them. The following year it was published together with the Fantasia in C minor, K. 475, and the two have been treated ever since almost as a single work. It is dedicated to his pupil Therese von Trattner.
In C minor and cut time, the opening theme is built from the contrast between a rising broken chord and the quiet figure that answers it. Dynamics switch violently from bar to bar and the tension does not let up. The second subject sings in E-flat major, but the recapitulation pulls it back into C minor and the movement closes in the minor.
Its advanced rating reflects the difficulty of sustaining those dynamic extremes without breaking the classical sense of form. Hammer the fortes and the sound coarsens; hold back and the tension disappears. Loud notes from arm weight, soft notes taken fully to the bottom of the key — that distinction is the point. Beethoven's debt to this movement has often been noted.
Piano sonatas representative of the Classical and Romantic eras, including Beethoven's early works — substantial multi-movement pieces throughout.
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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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