The 3 Easiest Mozart Sonatas (piano)
September 9, 2020 by Taras (Terry) Babyuk
Introduction
Lets begin with a disclaimer - there is no such thing as an easy Mozart sonata, or even an easy sonata for that matter, which are by their nature complex, multi-movement works. That being said, it doesn't mean that we can't talk about relative easiness, as in easier compared to rest (the other 15) of his sonatas, of which he wrote a total of 18.
So if you are not yet a super advanced pianist but can't wait to impress your family or friends with a real Mozart piano sonata - I strongly suggest you begin with one of these three. Let's take a look at what they are.
#1. Sonata in C Major, K 545 ('Sonata Facile')
Mozart himself described this sonata as “for beginners”, which is why it was nicknamed “sonata facile” or “sonata semplice” (Italian for “easy/simple sonata”). For this reason, I chose it as the first one on the list. This sonata consists of three movements, the first of which, “Allegro”, is the most popular of the three. In fact, many piano students only ever learn the first movement of this sonata. However, the information below will touch on all three movements.
Quick Facts
- Composed: 1788
- Key: C Major / G Major / C Major
- Movements: 3 (Allegro, Andante, Rondo: Allegretto)
- Duration: ~ 10-14 minutes
- Ability Level: RCM Level 8 - high intermediate
- My personal rating: 5/5 (love it!)
WHAT'S EASY ABOUT IT:
- The key(s). The 1st and 3rd movements are in C major, while the 2nd is in G major, which are both easy keys (which is a big part of why we included it on this list!)
- 2nd Movement. The 2nd movement is the easiest of the three. It is played “Andante” (at a walking pace) and does not contain any technically-challenging passages. So don't expect much difficulty here.
WHAT YOU MIGHT FIND DIFFICULT:
- 1st Movement. The 1st Movement is definitely the most challenging of the three, with high speed (Allegro), multiple RH trills, and many sixteenth-note scale runs.
#2. Sonata in G Major, K 283
Our second sonata is slightly more technically-difficult than the first one and is best suited for early advanced piano students, though ambitious high intermediate students might also be able to handle it. It is made up of three movements where the first one is again the most popular among music students.
Quick Facts
- Composed: 1774
- Key: G Major / C Major / G Major
- Movements: 3 (Allegro, Andante, Presto)
- Duration: ~ 12-18 minutes
- Ability Level: RCM Level 9 - low advanced
- My personal rating: 5/5 (love it!)
WHAT'S EASY ABOUT IT:
- The key(s). The 1st and 3rd movements are in G major, while the 2nd is in C major, which are both easy keys. Expect to use mostly white keys here.
- 2nd Movement. The 2nd movement is the easiest of the three. It is in C major, played at “Andante” (at a walking pace) and does not contain any technically-challenging passages. So don't expect much difficulty here.
WHAT YOU MIGHT FIND DIFFICULT:
- Speed. As if the 1st movement wasn't fast enough (Allegro), the 3rd movement here is to played even faster (Presto), so be prepared for some quick finger action here!
- Octave runs. Although it's relatively short, part of the 1st movement requires you to play a series harmonic octaves in LH in quick succession.
#3. Sonata in C Major, K 309
Our final sonata is very comparable in difficulty level to the second one. It is probably the least popular of the three featured here, but popular nevertheless. I give it a confident 4/5 rating.
Quick Facts
- Composed: 1777
- Key: C Major / F Major / C Major
- Movements: 3 (Allegro con spirito, Andante un poco Adagio, Rondo: Allegretto grazioso)
- Duration: ~ 16 minutes
- Ability Level: RCM Level 9 - low advanced
- My personal rating: 4/5 (it's very nice)
WHAT'S EASY ABOUT IT:
- The key(s). The 1st and 3rd movements are in C major, while the 2nd is in F major, which are both easy keys. Expect to use mostly white keys here.
- 2nd Movement. As was the case with the previous two sonatas, the 2nd movement is the easiest of the three. It is in F major, played at “Andante” (at a walking pace) and does not contain any technically-challenging passages.
WHAT YOU MIGHT FIND DIFFICULT:
- Speed. As was the case with the first sonata on our list, in this one too the 1st movement is the fastest of the three, marked “Allegro con spirito”. Playing sixteeth notes at this speed in an additional challenge, but nothing that can't be done with proper practice!
- 32nd notes. The 3rd movement contains many passages with 32nd notes in RH, so be ready to move those fingers!
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