WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
(born 1756 in Salzburg; died 1791 in Vienna)

Sonata in A Major, KV 526 (1787)

1. Molto allegro
2. Andante
3. Presto

The last decade of Mozart's life was, for the most part, a very fruitful period for him as a composer. The Sonata for Piano and Violin in A Major, KV 526, the six string quartets dedicated to Haydn, Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte and the late, great piano concerti (KV 466, KV 467, KV 482, KV 488), all date from these years. By this time, Mozart was no longer in salaried employment but was his own master.

Mozart had never been a great employee and, much to his father's dismay, had constant problems with his various employers. Perhaps it was his refusal, or inability, to conform to the common musical trends and expectations of his day (which, of course, is a sign of his genius as well), that did not particularly satisfy his employers' tastes and demands.

Mozart had written works for the combination of violin and piano from his youth. His first published works were sonatas for piano and violin. KV 6 and 7 are pieces for piano with rather inconspicuous violin parts. Later in the Palatine Sonatas (KV301-306), the two instruments receive much more equal treatment; nonetheless, the violin part is still interchangeable with the flute.

Some twelve years later, the two instruments in KV 526 are showcases for the brilliance of their players. Of the sonatas Mozart wrote for violin and piano, KV 526 is the most virtuosic, requiring of its players versatility of both fingers and mind. Rather than composing this work for amateurs, Mozart likely had himself in mind for the piano part. He was at the keyboard for the work's premiere although, because of the deadline of an already-scheduled performance, he had not quite finished writing out the piano part and was forced to play from a very basic sketch.

The first movement, marked Molto allegro, is written in sonata form, complete with exposition, development and recapitulation. Characterized by off-beat emphases and articulations, the jovial quality can be felt throughout, and the two instruments comfortably take turns in leading and supporting. The outbursts of energy are elegant and tasteful, adding to the liveliness. The eminent musicologist Alfred Einstein commented that this work was "like Bach, yet thoroughly Mozartian" and called it the perfect case of "reconciliation of styles" between the classical and the pre-classical (counterpoint).

The middle movement, Andante, has a cantabile quality but Mozart incorporates a singing accompaniment line to the melody. The second theme is mostly in A minor (although he goes in and out of this tonality and touches upon A Major and F-sharp minor). This key relationship is of note because the common practice of the day would have been for the second theme to be in A Major. The second time the second theme is presented it is mainly in D minor, but the movement ends, as it began, in D Major. Alfred Einstein wrote that this movement "realizes such a balance between Soul and Art that it seems God Almighty has let stop all motion for one minute of eternity in order to allow all Righteous ones to enjoy the bitter sweetness of life."

In the final movement, Presto, Mozart immediately "unleashes" the piano. Utterly dazzling, the hands of the pianist literally go for a run over the keyboard. This movement seems to be taken from the Rondo movement of a sonata for violin, cello, and keyboard by Karl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787), a close colleague of CPE Bach. Mozart had been in contact with Abel during a tour in his youth and greatly admired his work. Abel died in January of 1787 and Mozart paid homage to him in this movement. Written in sonata-rondo form, the thematic material is presented a handful of times with intermittent new ideas. The recapitulation is in D Major, rather than in the more usual home key of A Major. The movement brings the sonata to a stylish and exhilarating conclusion.