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PIANO SONATA No. 9 in D major K311
From 1777 to 1778 Mozart made a Mannheim-Paris journey, which played an
important role in his career. During the journey three piano sonatas were composed,
one of which is this sonata in D major. He wrote the sonata for Josepha, the pretty
daughter of Court Counsillor Freysinger (a former schoolfriend of Mozart's father
Leopold).
The music is filled with a light and playful spirit, and still shows influences from the
Mannheim School. One example of this is found in the closing Rondeau, where a
Cadenza is inserted before the main theme appears again, a technique only used in a
piano concerto. This proves that Mozart wanted to enlarge the structure of the
"simple" piano sonata, introducing concerto-like elements. The first movement is an
allegro con spirito. The gentle second subject is enriched by beautiful counterpoint in
the left hand. The development makes clever use of the Mannheim "sigh" motive, a
descending second, which was introduced as a little coda to the exposition.
The song-like second movement contains some moving melodic episodes, and ends
with a richly accompanied coda, evoking a feeling of sweet nostalgia.
The Rondeau is a real concert piece, with flourishing cascades of scales, its 6/8 time
playfully dancing towards an effectful end.
PIANO SONATA No. 10 in C major K330
The enchanting simplicity of the opening theme is the starting point of a wonderful
movement in which simple scales and broken chords turn into pure music of
sublime beauty. In the development Mozart applies rich and manifold thematic
material expressing emotion and unrest by using frequent syncopation and "sigh"
motives.
Mozart's marking "dolce" is significant in the execution of the slow movement,
which is in ternary form. The gentle, flowing atmosphere of the beginning is clouded
over by the darker mood of the middle section, in the minor key. The reappearance
of the first melody comes then as a ray of sunlight.
The joyful rondo is in rondo-sonata form. The music brims over with witty themes
and brilliant virtuosity, reminding one of a gay scene from one of his operas.
PIANO SONATA No. 11 in A major K331
This piano sonata is one of the most frequently performed sonatas of Mozart. It is
probable that it was created around 1783 when Mozart was working on his opera
"Die Entführung aus dem Serail". Supporting this reason is the appearance of Turkish
elements in both the opera and the sonata. Mozart did not miss the popularity of
exotic Turkish music in Vienna those days, and introduced such elements not only in
his opera but also in his piano music, hoping for better sales of his music.
The Turkish march is not the only unique feature of the sonata. Unusual is also the
first movement, being a set of variations, and the Minuet in place of the slow
movement. In fact none of the movements is in sonata form.
The sonata does not require bravura technique to play, and it seems that Mozart
composed this work bearing Viennese amateur pianists in mind. The first movement,
andante grazioso, is a set of variations on a beautiful theme in A major. The gently
rocking melody develops into six variations of different character: playful, dark,
peaceful and bristling.
The second movement is a minuet. The writing and structure of the piece is a far cry
from the simple minuets used in other works. There is complex counterpoint and
audacious harmony employed, which, combined with the irregularity of phrase
construction, makes this one of the most original minuets Mozart wrote.
The third movement is the well known Marcia alla Turca, in A-B-C-B-A-B'-Coda
form. The B-part show the Turkish effects: festive drums and cymbals sound on the
piano, evoking a joyful march parade.
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