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 {{Listen|type=music 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 an 8-measure section and a 10-measure section, 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, is popularly known as the "Turkish Rondo" or "Turkish March". : \header { tagline = ##f } \layout { indent = 0 \context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } global = { \key c \major \time 2/4 \partial 4 \tempo "Allegretto" } right = \relative c'' { \global \repeat volta 2 { \appoggiatura b16\p a8 gis16 a | c8 r \appoggiatura d16 c8 b16 c | e8 r8 \appoggiatura f16 e8 dis16 e | \appoggiatura b'16 a8 gis16 a \appoggiatura b16 a8 gis16 a | c4 a8 c | \appoggiatura {g!32 a } b8 [ ] | \appoggiatura { g32 a } [b8 ] | \appoggiatura { g32 a } [b8 ]| e4 } 8 | q \appoggiatura a16 g8 f16 e | > | q \appoggiatura a16 g8 f16 e | 4 } left = \relative c' { \global \clef bass \repeat volta 2 {\appoggiatura s16 r4 | a8\p [() q q] | a,8 [() q q] | a, [ a, ] | \slurDotted a, [() q q] | e, [ q q] | e, [ q q] | e, [ b, b'] | e,4 } r4 | c8 c' e, e' | g,4 r | c,8 c' e, e' | g,4 } \score { \new PianoStaff > \layout { } } %{ \score { \unfoldRepeats { > } \midi { \tempo 4=126 } } %} Mozart himself titled the
rondo "Alla turca". It imitates the sound of
Turkish Janissary bands, the music of which was much in vogue at that time. The form of this movement is an irregular rondo, structured as A–B–C–B–A–B followed by a coda, with B serving as the refrain in which the sounds of Turkish Janissary band instruments are imitated. •
Section A: This
section, in A minor, consists of a rising sixteenth-note melody followed by a falling eighth note melody over a
staccato eighth-note
accompaniment. A melody in thirds and eighth notes is played before the sixteenth-note melody returns slightly varied. •
Section B: This section is the refrain. It is a
forte march in octaves over an
arpeggiated chord accompaniment. The key changes to A major. •
Section C: This section, in
F minor, consists of sixteenth note melody over a broken-chord accompaniment. •
Coda: A
forte theme consisting mostly of chords (arpeggiated and not) and octaves. There is a brief
piano restatement of the theme in the middle of the
coda followed by a final
forte restatement before an ending in octaves. ==Relationships to later compositions and arrangements==