Piano Sonata No. 12 in F Major

Dating from the early 1780s and possibly written for use as teaching material, Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 12 overflows with an extravagant range of contrasts. Orchestral allusions abound, as do evocations of Mozart’s comic opera style. The first movement, in the home key of F major, exudes a quasi-vocal lyricism, whether in the pastoral tranquillity of the opening or the spoken quality of the C major second theme. Amid such rich invention, Mozart introduces yet another new idea at the beginning of the development section. In the slow movement, an “Adagio” in B-flat major, embellishments that are built into the main theme are then elaborated in the recapitulation. These decorations are not in the autograph manuscript but were added in the first published edition, giving us an insight into Mozart’s improvisatory practices. The finale begins with a flourish, signalling a movement of considerable technical brilliance. As in the first two movements, the music turns to the minor key for contrasts of colour and character, but the prevailing quality is a swirling virtuosity that finally gives way to an unexpectedly quiet ending.