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A piano sonata is a
sonata Sonata (; Italian: , pl. ''sonate''; from Latin and Italian: ''sonare'' rchaic Italian; replaced in the modern language by ''suonare'' "to sound"), in music, literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''canta ...
written for a solo
piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
. Piano sonatas are usually written in three or four
movements Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...
, although some piano sonatas have been written with a single movement ( Scarlatti,
Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
, Scriabin, Medtner,
Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states * Berg (state), county and duchy of the Hol ...
), others with two movements ( Haydn,
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
), some contain five ( Brahms' Third Piano Sonata) or even more movements. The first movement is generally composed in
sonata form Sonata form (also ''sonata-allegro form'' or ''first movement form'') is a musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of the 18th c ...
.


The Baroque keyboard sonata

In the
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
era, the use of the term "sonata" generally referred to either the
sonata da chiesa Sonata da chiesa (Italian: "church sonata") is a 17th-century genre of musical composition for one or more melody instruments and is regarded an antecedent of later forms of 18th century instrumental music. It generally comprises four movements, t ...
(church sonata) or
sonata da camera Sonata da camera is a 17th-century genre of musical composition for one or more melody instruments and basso continuo. It generally comprises a suite of several small pieces in the same mode or key that are suitable for dancing. A significant numbe ...
(chamber sonata), both of which were sonatas for various instruments (usually one or more
violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...
s plus
basso continuo Basso continuo parts, almost universal in the Baroque era (1600–1750), provided the harmonic structure of the music by supplying a bassline and a chord progression. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing the ...
). The keyboard sonata was relatively neglected by most
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...
s. The sonatas of
Domenico Scarlatti Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti, also known as Domingo or Doménico Scarlatti (26 October 1685-23 July 1757), was an Italian composer. He is classified primarily as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the devel ...
(of which there are over 500) were the hallmark of the Baroque keyboard sonata, though they were, for the most part, unpublished during Scarlatti's lifetime. The majority of these sonatas are in one-movement
binary form Binary form is a musical form in 2 related sections, both of which are usually repeated. Binary is also a structure used to choreograph dance. In music this is usually performed as A-A-B-B. Binary form was popular during the Baroque period, of ...
, both sections being in the same
tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...
and utilizing the same thematic material. These sonatas are prized for both their technical difficulty and their musical and formal ingenuity. The influence of Spanish folk music is evident in Scarlatti's sonatas. Other composers of keyboard sonatas (which were primarily written in two or three movements) include
Marcello Marcello is a common masculine Italian given name. It is a variant of Marcellus. The Spanish and Portuguese version of the name is Marcelo, differing in having only one "l", while the Greek form is Markellos. Etymology The name originally means ...
, Giustini, Durante and Platti. J.S. Bach's popular '' Italian Concerto'', despite the name, can also be considered a keyboard sonata.


Piano sonatas in the Classical era

Although various composers in the 17th century had written
keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Mu ...
pieces which they entitled "Sonata", it was only in the classical era, when the piano displaced the earlier
harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...
and sonata form rose to prominence as a principle of
music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...
al composition, that the term "piano sonata" acquired a definite meaning and a characteristic form. All the well-known Classical era composers, especially
Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have le ...
, Muzio Clementi,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
, and
Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
, wrote many piano sonatas. Muzio Clementi wrote more than 110 piano sonatas. He is well known as "The Father of the Pianoforte". Clementi's Opus 2 was the first real piano sonata composed. The much younger
Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...
also wrote many. The 32 sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven, including the well-known '' Pathétique Sonata'' and the ''
Moonlight Sonata The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, marked ''Quasi una fantasia'', Op. 27, No. 2, is a piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven. It was completed in 1801 and dedicated in 1802 to his pupil Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. The popular name ''M ...
'', are often considered the pinnacle of piano sonata composition.


Piano sonatas in the Romantic era

As the Romantic era progressed after Beethoven and Schubert, piano sonatas continued to be composed, but in lesser numbers as the form took on a somewhat academic tinge and competed with shorter genres more compatible with Romantic compositional style.
Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
's comprehensive "three-movements-in-one" Sonata in B minor draws on the concept of thematic transformation first introduced by Schubert in his Wanderer Fantasie of 1822. Piano sonatas have been written throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and up to the present day.


Noted piano sonatas


Classical Era

*
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788), also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and sec ...
** Württemberg Sonata No. 1 in A minor, H. 30, Wq. 49/1 ** 'Prussian' Sonata No. 4 in C minor, Wq. 48/4 *
Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
** Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1 ** Piano Sonata No.4 in E-flat Major, Op.7 "Grand Sonata" ** Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 "Pathétique" ** Piano Sonata No.12 in A flat Major Op.26 "Funeral March" ** Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight" ** Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 "Pastoral" ** Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2 "Tempest" ** Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat major, Op. 31 No. 3 "The Hunt" ** Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor, Op. 49 No. 1 ** Piano Sonata No. 20 in G Major, Op.49 No. 2 ** Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 "Waldstein" ** Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata" ** Piano Sonata No. 25 in G Major, Op.79 "Cuckoo" ** Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major, Op. 81a "Les Adieux" ** Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101 ** Piano Sonata No. 29 in B Flat Major, Op.106 "Hammerklavier" ** Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109 ** Piano Sonata No. 31 in A♭ major, Op. 110 ** Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111 * Haydn, Franz Joseph ** Piano Sonata in E flat major, Hob. XVI:52 * Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus ** Piano Sonata No. 3 in B-flat major ( K. 281/189f) ** Piano Sonata No.5 in G Major (K.283) ** Piano Sonata No. 10 in C major (K. 330) ** Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major (K. 331/300i) ** Piano Sonata No. 13 in B-flat major (K. 333/315c) ** Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor (K. 457) ** Piano Sonata No. 16 in C major (K. 545) ** Piano Sonata No. 17 in B-flat major (K. 570)


Romantic

* Alkan, Charles-Valentin ** Grande sonate 'Les quatre âges' * Brahms, Johannes ** Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5 * Chopin, Frédéric ** Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35, "Funeral March" ** Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58 * Dukas, Paul ** Piano Sonata in E flat minor * Grieg, Edvard ** Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7 * Liszt, Franz ** Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata (often erroneously referred to as the "Dante Sonata") ** Sonata in B minor * MacDowell, Edward ** Sonata Tragica, Op. 45 ** Sonata Eroica, Op. 50 ** Third Sonata, Op. 57 ** Fourth Sonata, Op. 59 * Mendelssohn, Fanny ** ''Ostersonate'' (''Easter Sonata''), piano sonata in A major * Mendelssohn, Felix ** Piano Sonata in E major, Op. 6 ** Piano Sonata in G minor, Op. 105 ** Piano Sonata in B-flat major, Op. 106 * Rachmaninoff, Sergei ** Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28 ** Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36 * Schubert, Franz, (See List of Schubert's works) ** Piano Sonata No. 13 in A Major, D.664 ** Piano Sonata No. 14 in A Minor, D.784 ** Piano Sonata No. 18 in G Major,"Fantaisie," D.894 ** Piano Sonata No. 19 in C Minor, D.958 ** Piano Sonata No. 20 in A Major, D.959 ** Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat major, D.960 * Schumann, Clara ** Piano Sonata in G minor (1841–42) * Schumann, Robert ** Piano Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 11 "Grosse Sonate" ** Piano Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 ** Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 14 "Concerto without Orchestra" * Sibelius, Jean ** Piano Sonata in F major, Op. 12 * Weber, Carl Maria von ** Piano Sonata No. 1 in C major, Op. 24 (J. 138) ** Piano Sonata No. 2 in A flat major, Op. 39 (J. 199) ** Piano Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 49 (J. 206) ** Piano Sonata No. 4 in E minor, Op. 70 (J. 287)


Modern (1900-present)

* Alwyn, William ** Sonata alla Toccata (1945-46) * Barber, Samuel ** Sonata for Piano, Op. 26 * Barraqué, Jean ** Piano Sonata (1950–52) * Bartók, Béla ** Piano Sonata, Sz.80 * Bax, Arnold ** Piano Sonata No. 1 (1910) ** Piano Sonata No. 2 (1919) ** Piano Sonata No. 3 (1926) ** Piano Sonata No. 4 in G major (1934) * Berg, Alban ** Piano Sonata, Op. 1 * Berkeley, Lennox ** Piano Sonata in A major, Op. 20 (1941-45) * Boulez, Pierre ** Piano Sonata No. 1 ** Piano Sonata No. 2 ** Piano Sonata No. 3 (Unfinished: only two of the five movements have been published.) * Bridge, Frank ** Piano Sonata (1921-24) * Cochran, Julian ** Piano Sonata No. 1 ** Piano Sonata No. 2 * Copland, Aaron ** Piano Sonata * Corea, Chick ** Piano Sonata: The Moon (recorded on
Trilogy A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games, and are less common in other art forms. Three-part wor ...
) * Dutilleux, Henri ** Piano Sonata, Op. 1 * Fairouz, Mohammed ** Piano Sonata No. 1 "Reflections on Exile" ** Piano Sonata No. 2 "The Last Resistance" * Ferguson, Howard ** Piano Sonata in F minor, Op. 8 (1938-40) * Ginastera, Alberto ** Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 22 * Gould, Glenn **Piano Sonata * Habibi, Iman **Piano Sonata (Voyage) (2013) * Hindemith, Paul ** Piano Sonata No. 1 in A Major "Der Main" ** Piano Sonata No. 2 in G Major ** Piano Sonata No. 3 in B flat Major * Hough, Stephen ** Sonata for piano (Broken Branches) (2010) ** 2nd Piano Sonata (Notturno luminoso) (2012) ** Piano Sonata III (Trinitas) (2014) ** Piano Sonata no. 4 (Vida Breve) (2016) * Ireland, John ** Piano Sonata (1920) * Ives, Charles ** Piano Sonata No.2, Concord, Mass., 1840-60 * Janáček, Leoš ** Piano Sonata "1.X.1905" * Jennings, David ** Piano Sonata, Op. 1 (1988, revised 1995 and 2009) * Leighton, Kenneth ** Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 2 (1948) ** Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 17 (1953) ** Piano Sonata No. 3 Op. 27 (1954) ** Piano Sonata, Op. 64 (1971-72) * Liebermann, Lowell ** Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 1 (1977) ** Piano Sonata No.2 ("Sonata Notturna") Op. 10 (1983) ** Piano Sonata No.3 Op. 82 (2002) * Lilburn, Douglas ** Piano Sonata No. 1 in C minor Op. 1 (1932) ** Piano Sonata No. 3 in F# minor (1939) ** Piano Sonata No. 4 in A minor (1939) ** Piano Sonata No. 5 (1949) ** Piano Sonata No. 6 (1956) *
Nikolai Medtner Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (russian: Никола́й Ка́рлович Ме́тнер, ''Nikoláj Kárlovič Métner''; 13 November 1951) was a Russian composer and virtuoso pianist. After a period of comparative obscurity in the 25 years immed ...
**Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 5 (1901-3) **Piano Sonata No. 2 in A, Op. 11 (1904-7) **Piano Sonata No. 3 in D minor, ''Sonate-Elegie'', Op. 11 (1904-7) **Piano Sonata No. 4 in C, Op. 11 (1904-7) **Piano Sonata No. 5 in G minor, Op. 22 (1909-10) **Piano Sonata No. 6 in C minor, ''Sonata-Skazka'', Op. 22 (1910-11) **Piano Sonata No. 7 in E minor, ''Night Wind'', Op. 22 (1910-11) **Piano Sonata No. 8 in F, ''Sonata-Ballade'', Op. 27 (1912-14) **Piano Sonata No. 9 in A minor, ''War Sonata'' , Op. 30 (1914-17) **Piano Sonata No. 10 in A minor, ''Sonata-reminiscenza'', Op. 38 No. 1 (1920) **Piano Sonata No. 11 in C minor, ''Sonata Tragica'', Op. 39, No. 5 (1920) **Piano Sonata No. 12 in B minor, ''Romantica'', Op. 53 No. 1 (1930) **Piano Sonata No. 13 in F minor, ''Minacciosa'', Op. 53, No. 2 (1930) **Piano Sonata No. 14 in G, ''Sonata-Idyll'', Op. 56 (1937) * Ornstein, Leo ** Piano Sonata No. 4 ** Piano Sonata No. 8 * Pejačević, Dora ** Sonata in B flat minor, Op. 36 (1914; dedicated to Anny von Lange) ** Sonata in A flat major, Op. 57 (in one movement; 1921) * Persichetti, Vincent ** Sonata No. 12 (Mirror Sonata) * Price, Florence ** Piano Sonata in E Minor * Prokofiev, Sergei ** Piano Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 28 ("From Old Notebooks") ** Piano Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 82 ("War Sonata 1") ** Piano Sonata No. 7 in B-flat major, Op. 83 ("War Sonata 2/Stalingrad") ** Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat major, Op. 84 ("War Sonata 3") * Rzewski, Frederic **Sonata for Solo Piano * Schnittke, Alfred ** Piano Sonata No. 1 ** Piano Sonata No. 2 ** Piano Sonata No. 3 * Scriabin, Alexander ** Piano Sonata No. 2 "Sonata-Fantasy" ** Piano Sonata No. 4 ** Piano Sonata No. 5 ** Piano Sonata No. 6 ** Piano Sonata No. 7 "White Mass" ** Piano Sonata No. 9 "Black Mass" * Shostakovich, Dmitri ** Piano Sonata No. 2 in B minor, Op. 61 * Stoker, Richard ** Piano Sonata No.1, Op.26 (1970) ** Piano Sonata No.2, Op.71 (1998) * Stravinsky, Igor ** Sonata for Piano * Szymanowski, Karol ** Piano sonata No.2 in A Major op.21 ** Piano sonata No.3 op.36 * Tippett, Michael ** Piano Sonata No. 1 (1936-38) ** Piano Sonata No. 2 (1962) ** Piano Sonata No. 3 (1972-73) ** Piano Sonata No. 4 (1983-84) * Vine, Carl ** Piano Sonata No. 1 * Williams, John ** Piano Sonata (1951) * Wuorinen, Charles **Piano Sonata (1969) **Second Piano Sonata (1976) **Third Piano Sonata (1986) **Fourth Piano Sonata (2007) {{Authority control