Classical Music | Piano Music

It is known that Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 13 in B-flat was published in Vienna in April 1784, along with the Piano Sonata No. 6 in D and the Violin Sonata No. 32 as part of his opus 7. However, the sonata’s date of composition has proven much more difficult to ascertain. Köchel, in his original catalog of Mozart’s work, assigned the date of 1779. The third edition of the catalog, edited by Alfred Einstein, placed the sonata’s composition a little earlier in the summer of 1778. However, recent paper analysis of the manuscript suggests Mozart likely composed the sonata toward the end of 1783, while he and his wife spent three weeks in Linz on their return journey to Vienna from Salzburg. This places the sonata’s composition at about the same time as the Symphony No. 36 in C, known as the “Linz,” which was given at a concert in Linz on November 4. Thus, Mozart possibly composed the sonata for himself to perform at the same concert.

Also carrying the same epithet as the Symphony in C, the Piano Sonata No. 13 is one of Mozart’s more challenging compositions for the piano. Like all Classical sonatas, it is comprised of three movements. The opening Allegro is a lively sonata form with florid passagework and ornamental phrases that suggest the adornments of the concerto. The central Andante cantabile is a particularly lyrical movement. Its graceful melodies have an operatic feel to them and Mozart’s use of chromatic harmonies grant an added poignancy to their expression. Lastly, the sonata’s Allegretto Rondo finale has a playful and lighthearted demeanor. A cadenza appears before the final statement of the movement’s principal theme and the sonata’s joyful conclusion.     Joseph DuBose