Piano Sonata No. 11 (Mozart)
A three-movement sonata featuring the famous Turkish Rondo.
Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331 / 300i, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a piano sonata in three movements. Published in 1784 by Artaria alongside the sonatas numbered 10 and 12 (K. 330 and K. 332), the work is homotonal, with all movements in either A major or A minor. A typical performance lasts about twenty minutes. The sonata is best known for its third movement, the "Rondo alla Turca" or "Turkish March," which is frequently performed on its own and ranks among Mozart's most famous piano pieces.
The opening movement, marked Andante grazioso, defies the convention of beginning a sonata with an allegro in sonata form; instead, it is a theme and variations. The theme is a siciliana, structured with an eight-measure section and a ten-measure section, each repeated—a pattern carried through every variation. The second movement is a standard minuet and trio in A major.
The final movement, which Mozart himself titled "Alla turca," takes an irregular rondo form: A–B–C–B–A–B followed by a coda. The B section serves as the refrain, imitating the sounds of Turkish Janissary band instruments in a cartoonish, mocking manner. This "Alla turca" style appears in other Mozart works, including K. 539, written during the Austro-Turkish War to glorify Emperor Joseph II, and K. 620, where it portrays Blackness, "Moorishness," and Turkishness negatively, reflecting broader anti-Turkish propaganda that depicted Turks as barbaric. The A section, in A minor, features a rising sixteenth-note melody followed by a falling eighth-note melody over staccato accompaniment. The B refrain is a forte march in octaves over arpeggiated chords in A major. Section C, in F minor, presents a sixteenth-note melody over broken chords. The coda is a forte passage of chords and octaves, with a brief piano restatement before a final forte ending.
The first movement's theme was later used by Max Reger in his 1914 orchestral Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart, and by Israeli composer Ron Weidberg for a set of variations. Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo à la Turk" is unrelated. In 2014, Hungarian librarian Balázs Mikusi discovered four autograph manuscript pages of the first and middle movements in Budapest's National Széchényi Library, matching the paper and handwriting of the previously known final page in Salzburg. The manuscript reveals rhythmic differences in the first movement's fifth va
- composer
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- key
- A major
- movements
- 3
- publisher
- Artaria
- typical_duration
- about 20 minutes
Lore & Background
The sonata consists of three movements: I. Andante grazioso, II. Menuetto, and III. Alla turca. All movements are in A major or A minor, making the work homotonal. The opening movement defies convention by being a theme and variation rather than an allegro in sonata form; the theme is a siciliana with an 8-measure and a 10-measure section, each repeated. The second movement is a standard minuet and trio in A major. The third movement, marked Alla turca, is an irregular rondo structured as A–B–C–B–A–B with a coda, where the B refrain imitates Turkish Janissary band instruments in a cartoonish and mocking manner. Mozart later used this 'Alla turca' style in other works, including K.
Reader's Guide
The Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331, was published by Artaria in 1784 alongside two other sonatas. Its first movement, an Andante grazioso, defies the typical sonata-allegro form by opening with a theme and variations; the theme is a siciliana with an eight-measure and a ten-measure section, each repeated, a structure mirrored in every variation. The second movement is a standard minuet and trio. The famous third movement, the "Rondo alla Turca," is an irregular rondo (A–B–C–B–A–B with a coda) where the B section imitates the sounds of Turkish Janissary band instruments in a cartoonish and mocking manner. Mozart later employed this "Alla turca" style in other works, including K. 539, which glorified Emperor Joseph II during the Austro-Turkish War, and K. 620, which negatively portrayed Blackness, Moorishness, and Turkishness as difficult to separate, reflecting the anti-Turkish propaganda of the time. The sonata is homotonal, with all movements in A major or A minor, and a typical performance lasts about twenty minutes. In 2014, four pages of Mozart’s autograph manuscript for the first and middle movements were discovered in Budapest, revealing minor rhythmic and pitch differences from standard editions, such as an altered rhythm in the first movement’s fifth variation and a note discrepancy in the minuet. This rediscovered score was first performed by Zoltán Kocsis in September 2014. The first movement’s theme was later used by Max Reger in his orchestral variations and by Israeli composer Ron Weidberg for a set of variations.
Did You Know?
- The third movement, 'Rondo alla Turca', imitates Turkish Janissary band instruments in a cartoonish and mocking manner.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Piano Sonata No. 11 (Mozart) most famous for?
The sonata's third movement, the Rondo alla Turca (commonly called the Turkish March), is the piece most listeners associate with it. That movement is so popular it is regularly played as a standalone work and is often cited among Mozart's most recognizable piano compositions.
How is Piano Sonata No. 11 (Mozart) structured?
The work unfolds in three movements, moving from the opening A-major exposition through a middle movement to the celebrated Turkish Rondo finale. This three-movement layout is standard for the classical piano sonata form of the period.
Why does Piano Sonata No. 11 (Mozart) matter to pianists and listeners?
Its Turkish March has become a staple of recital programs and a frequent first encounter with Mozart's keyboard writing for young pianists. The sonata as a whole showcases the clarity, charm, and rhythmic drive that define Mozart's mature style.
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