Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 16 'Facile' in C major, K.545 [Uchida]

I. Allegro (0:00)
II. Andante (4:35)
III. Rondo. Allegretto (11:37)

Piano: Mitsuko Uchida

Mvt 1: Allegro [Modified Sonata-Form]
EXPOSITION
(0:00) Primary Theme (P1) in C major.
(0:09) Transition Section, a descending sequence of scales that reaches the secondary dominant (Dm) and then finishes in a strong plagal cadence in G.
(0:23) Secondary Theme (S1) in the dominant (G major).
(0:32) Counter-Theme 1 (S2), using the same descending-sequence principle of the Transition Section, but now with arpeggios — soon resolving to G major.
(0:47) Coda.
DEVELOPMENT
(1:44) Episode 1: combination between the Coda and the scales of the Transition in G minor. At 1:52, the same in D minor.
(1:58) Episode 2: the scales takes over and start a descending sequence until it reaches a strong C7 chord that leads to the
RECAPITULATION
(2:08) P1 in F major, the subdominant (wait, what?!?). This tonality is certainly an unusual choice, but it kind of makes sense, considering that the goal of this "sonata semplice" is to keep everything simple and repetitive. So, instead of rewriting the whole transitional section, Mozart keeps it the same and maintains its function to modulate to the fifth degree — from C to G in Exposition and F to C in Recapitulation.
(2:17) Transition Section. At 2:23, the LH takes its turn to reach Dm.
(2:38) S1 + S2 in the tonic, C major.
(3:01) Coda.

Mvt 2: Andante [Ritornello Form]
** I'm assuming the structure of this movement to be ||:AA':||:BA':||CAA', which resembles a Rondo or Ritornello Form. One can also say that the themes have almost no contrast between each other, if not by their tonalities.
(4:35) Theme A in G major. It comes again, with more ornamentation.
(6:40) Theme B in the dominant (D major). Actually, this is very similar to the first Theme.
(7:11) Theme A.
(8:48) Theme C in the relative (G minor). This section is quite strange: it strongly recalls both Themes A and B, as if it were a development section... Anyways, this is for sure the emotional climax of the piece.
(9:51) Theme A.
(10:49) An unexpected digression takes in, bringing back some fragments of Theme C.
(11:22) Coda.

Mvt 3: Allegretto [Rondo Form]
(11:38) Theme in C major.
(12:01) Episode 1 in the dominant (G major). The Theme smuggles in, but in the wrong key — and it comically dies out.
(12:18) Theme.
(12:30) Episode 2, clearly developing the Theme in the relative minor (Am). Again, it smirks and dies out...
(13:05) Theme.
(13:16) Picking up the end of Episode 2 from the point it stopped, a sunny Coda blossoms, ending the piece playfully.

[elaineblackhurst]

Published as a ‘Sonata facile’*(Italian title = easy sonata), Mozart noted that it was intended for beginners.

Apart from the sublime simplicity and memorability of the first four bars, it is not one of the composer’s greatest keyboard works and should not be bigged up into something it is not (‘…masterpiece’, et cetera).

* As the word is Italian, the correct pronunciation is *’fah*-chee-leh’, not a Frenchified ‘fass-eel’, or Anglicised ‘fass-eye-l’.

[reinhardkohler]

Was ist der Musikwelt entgangen, das das dieses Genie so zeitig, mit nur 39 Jahren, die Welt verlassen hat.

[axolotlpie]

This recording is beautiful, and the music is lively😊

[musicafilosofia]

No todos se atreven a hacer todas las repeticiones.