Piano Sonata No. 11 (Mozart) Explained

Piano Sonata in A major
Subtitle:No. 11
Composer:Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Image Upright:1.3
Key:A major
Catalogue:K. 331 / 300i
Style:Classical period
Published:1784
Movements:Andante grazioso, Menuetto, Alla turca – Allegretto

The Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331 / 300i, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a piano sonata in three movements.

The sonata was published by Artaria in 1784, alongside Nos. 10 and 12 (K. 330 and K. 332).[1]

The third movement of this sonata, the "Rondo alla Turca", or "Turkish March", is often heard on its own and regarded as one of Mozart's best-known piano pieces.[2]

Structure

The sonata consists of three movements:

All of the movements are in the key of A major or A minor; therefore, the work is homotonal. A typical performance of this entire sonata takes about 20 minutes.

I. Andante grazioso

Since the opening movement of this sonata is a theme and variation, Mozart defied the convention of beginning a sonata with an allegro movement in sonata form. The theme is a siciliana, consisting of two 8-measure sections, each repeated, a structure shared by each variation.

II. Menuetto

The second movement of the sonata is a standard minuet and trio movement in A major.

III. Alla turca

The last movement, marked Alla turca, popularly known as the "Turkish Rondo" or "Turkish March", is often heard on its own and is one of Mozart's best-known piano pieces.[3]

Mozart himself titled the rondo "Alla turca".[4] It imitates the sound of Turkish Janissary bands, the music of which was much in vogue at that time.[5]

Relationships to later compositions and arrangements

The theme of the first movement was used by Max Reger in his Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart (1914) for orchestra. [6] The Israeli composer Ron Weidberg (b. 1953) used the same theme for a set of variations. Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo à la Turk" (1959) is not based on or related to the last movement.[7]

Pianist Arcadi Volodos arranged a virtuoso piano solo paraphrase, loosely-built from key parts of the Sonata.

The Turkish folk metal band Ulytau published a metal version of the Rondo alla Turca in 2009.

2014 autograph discovery

In 2014, Hungarian librarian Balázs Mikusi discovered in Budapest's National Széchényi Library four pages from the first and middle movements in Mozart's autograph manuscript of the sonata. Until then, only the last page of the last movement, which is preserved in the International Mozarteum Foundation, had been known to have survived. The paper and handwriting of the four pages matched that of the final page of the score, held in Salzburg. The original score is close to the first edition, published in 1784.[8]

In the first movement, however, in bars 5 and 6 of the fifth variation, the rhythm of the last three notes was altered. In the menuetto, the last quarter beat of bar 3 is a C in most editions, but in the original autograph an A is printed.[9] In the first edition, an A is also printed in bar 3, as in the original, but on the other hand a C is printed in the parallel passage at bar 33, mirroring subsequent editions.[10]

On 26 September 2014 Zoltán Kocsis gave the first performance of the rediscovered score, at the National Széchényi Library in Budapest.[11]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Irving, John. Understanding Mozart's Piano Sonatas. Ashgate. 2013. 9781409494096. 54.
  2. Web site: Bugg . D. Doran . The role of Turkish percussion in the history and development of the orchestral percussion section . 2022-06-03 . Louisiana State University Digital Commons . 36.
  3. Web site: 10 incredible, life-changing masterpieces from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart you need in your life. 6. Piano Sonata No. 11 ('Alla Turca'). Classic FM. 3 July 2018. 6 May 2021.
  4. John Thompson's Modern Course for the Piano: The Fifth Grade Book. The Willis Music Company; Cincinnati, Ohio, 1952.
  5. Schmidt-Jones, Catherine (10 May 2010). "Janissary Music and Turkish Influences on Western Music". OpenStax CNX, 10 May 2010. Retrieved from http://cnx.org/content/m15861/latest/.
  6. http://www.vpr.net/episode/53224/max-regers-mozart-variations/ "Max Reger's Mozart Variations"
  7. http://www.notnowmusic.com/time-out-2598.html Sleeve notes
  8. News: Kozinn. Allan. Allan Kozinn. A Mozart Mystery: Sonata Manuscript Surfaces in Budapest. The New York Times. 1 October 2014. C4.
  9. Web site: K. 331 Sonata in A major. 6 May 2021. mozart.oszk.hu. Balázs Mikusi.
  10. See scores at NME and IMSLP.
  11. Web site: Elusive Mozart manuscript discovered . Franks . Rebecca . 30 September 2014 . .classical-music.com . . 6 October 2023.