Piano Sonata No. 11 (Mozart)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's
Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331 is in three movements:
- Andante grazioso - a theme with six variations
- Menuetto - a minuet and trio
- Rondo alla Turca: Allegretto
The last movement, a
rondo, is often heard on its own, and is one of the most well known of all Mozart's works. It imitates the
drums and melodies of
Turkish Janissary bands, the music of which was so in vogue at that time. Various other works of the time imitate the music, including Mozart's own
opera The Abduction from the Seraglio.
It is not known for certain exactly where and when Mozart composed the sonata - in Vienna or Salzburg in around 1783 is currently thought to be most likely, though Paris and dates as far back as 1778 have also been suggested.
The theme of the first movement was used by Max Reger in one of his best known works, the Variations and Fugue on a theme of Mozart (1914) for orchestra.