Piano Sonata No. 8 (Mozart)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K. 310 / 300d, was written in 1778. The sonata is the first of only two Mozart piano sonatas in a minor key (the other being No. 14 in C minor, K. 457). It was composed in the summer of 1778 around the time of his mother's death, one of the most tragic times of his life.[1]

Piano Sonata in A minor
No. 8
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
An old page of handwritten piano music.
First page of the autograph
KeyA minor
CatalogueK. 310 / 300d
StyleClassical period
Composed1778 (1778)
MovementsThree (Allegro maestoso, Andante cantabile con espressione, Presto)

The autograph manuscript of the sonata is preserved in the Morgan Library & Museum.

Background

Little is known about the precise circumstances surrounding the composition of the sonata; unlike the earlier Sonata in C major, K. 309/284b, it was little mentioned in his correspondence.[2] The surviving manuscript was written using the same type of paper used for the Symphony No. 31 in D major, K. 297/300a, which Mozart purchased while in Paris.[3]

The sonata is a rare minor key composition in Mozart's catalogue. Composed alongside the Violin Sonata No. 21 in E minor, K. 304/300c, it has been suggested that the sudden death of Mozart's mother may have led to the more sombre mood found in these pieces.[4]

Structure

The composition, which typically takes around 22 minutes to perform, is in three movements:

  1. Allegro maestoso, 4
    4
  2. Andante cantabile con espressione, F major, 3
    4
  3. Presto, 2
    4

References
  1. Anderson 1990, p. 2.
  2. Irving 1997, p. 62.
  3. Irving 1997, p. 64.
  4. Zaslaw & Cowdery 1990, p. 310–311.

Bibliography
  • Anderson, Keith (1990). Mozart: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1 (CD). Naxos Records. 8.550445.
  • Irving, John (1997). Mozart's Piano Sonatas: Contexts, Sources, Style. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-49631-4.
  • Zaslaw, Neal; Cowdery, William, eds. (1990). The Compleat Mozart: A Guide to the Musical Works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. New York and London: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-02886-7.

Further reading
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