Piano Sonata in A minor, D 845 (Schubert)

The Piano Sonata in A minor D. 845 (Op. 42) by Franz Schubert is a sonata for solo piano, composed in May 1825.

Movements

I. Moderato

A minor. Sonata form (second theme in C major).

II. Andante poco moto

C major. Theme and variations.

(The first variation is not exact, as 4 measures are missing after measure 43 that would correspond to measures 20–23 of the theme.)

III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace - Trio: Un poco più lento

A minor - A major. Trio in F major.

IV. Rondo: Allegro vivace

A minor. Sonata-rondo (second theme in E minor - E major).

The first movement is in sonata form though with ambiguity over the material in the development and the beginning of the recapitulation.

The second movement is in C major (relative key to A minor) variation form, with somewhat frequent forays into the parallel minor, C minor.

The third movement is a scherzo in compound ternary form, where the main scherzo is essentially in sonata form. The main scherzo opens in A minor and soon switches to the second theme in C major without a transition. The development goes through F minor, A-flat major and A-flat minor, finally arriving on an imperfect cadence in A minor. After the development comes the opening theme in A minor, soon followed by the second theme in A major (also in which the main scherzo ends). The calmer and slower trio section is in F major, the submediant major to A minor (also the subdominant of the relative key to A minor). No extra coda is present after the recapitulated main scherzo.

The fourth movement, in A minor, begins with a melancholic but light melody. This movement is in sonata rondo form with foreshortened recapitulation. The secondary subject in the exposition goes from E minor to E major, while that in the recapitulation goes from A minor to A major. This movement finally closes in A minor.

Daniel Coren has discussed the nature of the recapitulation in the first movement of this sonata. Noted performers of the work in the 19th century included Hans von Bülow, who played the sonata in both Europe and the USA.

External links

• Piano Sonata D.845: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Performance by Seymour Lipkin from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in MP3 format

Piano sonatas (2 hands) by Franz Schubert
Preceded by Sonata in A minor (D. 784)	AGA, Series 10 (15 sonatas) No. 9	Succeeded by Sonata in A major (D. 664)
Preceded by Sonata in C major (D. 840)	21 Sonatas numbering system No. 16	Succeeded by Sonata in D major (D. 850)
	23 Sonatas numbering system No. 18