Piano Sonata No. 10 in C Major

Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 10 is now thought to have been composed in the early 1780s, rather later than the date of 1778 that was originally believed when Köchel compiled his thematic catalogue. At this time, Mozart was earning most of his living from teaching in Vienna, and this sonata may have begun life as a work for his pupils. The first movement, a smoothly lyrical “Allegro moderato” in C major, blends its thematic material into generous amounts of elaborative figuration, designed to impress but well within the reach of amateur pianists. The slow movement, “Andante cantabile”, opens in an expressive F major before turning unexpectedly to F minor for a darker central episode, which is then recalled in the major key at the end of the movement (presumably an inspired afterthought, as these four bars are in the first edition but not in the autograph manuscript). The sprightly “Allegretto” finale builds much of its passagework on straightforward broken chords in the left hand, exuding an opera buffa-like geniality.