Pieces › Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Piano Sonata No. 16 in C major, K. 545 “Sonata facile”

I. Allegro

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart · 1788 · C major · 73 bars · 118 chords analysed

Mozart called it “a little sonata for beginners”. It is one of the most played pieces in the piano repertoire.

Mozart's 18 piano sonatas span his career, from Munich in 1775 to Vienna in 1789. Most have three movements — fast, slow, fast — and the first movement is usually in sonata form: two contrasting themes, a development that travels through other keys, and a return home.

Keys visited: C major, G major, G minor, D minor, A minor, F major.