Mozart's piano sonatas are among the most familiar of his works and stand alongside those of Haydn and Beethoven as staples of the pianist's repertoire. In this study, John Irving looks at a wide selection of contextual situations for Mozart's sonatas, focusing on the variety of ways in which they assume identities and achieve meanings. In particular, the book seeks to establish the provisionality of the sonatas' notated texts, suggesting that the texts are not so much identifiers as possibilities and that their identity resides in the usage. Close attention is paid to reception matters, analytical approaches, organology, the role of autograph manuscripts, early editions and editors, and aspects of historical performance practice - all of which go beyond the texts in opening windows onto Mozart's sonatas. Treating the sonatas collectively as a repertoire, rather than as individual works, the book surveys broad thematic issues such as the role of historical writing about music in defining a generic space for Mozart's sonatas, their construction within pedagogical traditions, the significance of sound as opposed to sight in these works (and in particular their sound on fortepianos of the later eighteenth-century) , and the creative role of the performer in their representation beyond the frame of the text. Drawing together and synthesizing this wealth of material, Irving provides an invaluable reference source for those already familiar with this repertoire.

An examination of Mozart's piano sonatas, showing them to be a microcosm of the composer's changing style.

Mozart's piano sonatas are among the most familiar of his works and stand alongside those of Haydn and Beethoven as staples of the pianist's repertoire. In this study, John Irving looks at a wide selection of contextual situations for Mozart's sonatas, focusing on the variety of ways in which they assume identities and achieve meanings. In particular, the book seeks to establish the provisionality of the sonatas' notated texts, suggesting that the texts are not so much identifiers as possibilities and that their identity resides in the usage. Close attention is paid to reception matters, analytical approaches, organology, the role of autograph manuscripts, early editions and editors, and aspects of historical performance practice - all of which go beyond the texts in opening windows onto Mozart's sonatas. Treating the sonatas collectively as a repertoire, rather than as individual works, the book surveys broad thematic issues such as the role of historical writing about music in defining a generic space for Mozart's sonatas, their construction within pedagogical traditions, the significance of sound as opposed to sight in these works (and in particular their sound on fortepianos of the later eighteenth-century) , and the creative role of the performer in their representation beyond the frame of the text. Drawing together and synthesizing this wealth of material, Irving provides an invaluable reference source for those already familiar with this repertoire.

The author has made the study and performance of the piano works of Mozart his special field. In this volume he presents insights, gained through years of intensive study, into many important aspects of the piano sonatas. Consideration of the influence of contemporary composers, pianos in Mozart's time, Mozart's use of keys, chords, and ornamentation, and some of Mozart's ideas on piano playing provide a perspective for the interpretive survey of all the sonatas and for the interpretive analysis of six selected sonatas. The study is primarily concerned not with technical aspects of the music but with its message--its imaginative wealth and emotional depth, as revealed through the clarity of its form and the restraint of its harmonic language.

A celebration and exploration of a monumental achievement

Originally published in German as Interpreting Mozart on the Keyboard in 1957, this definitive work on the performance of Mozart's works has greatly influenced students and scholars of keyboard literature and of Mozart. Now, in a completely updated and revised edition, this book includes the last half century of scholarship on Mozart's music, addressing the elements of performance and problems that may occur in performing Mozart's works on modern instruments.

Musicians have long treasured the Mozart sonatas for their symmetry and perfection. This volume presents single movements as well as complete sonatas (K. 282, 283, 545 and 570) for study by the advancing pianist. The sonatas provide ample opportunity for developing control, technical facility, a singing style, and balance and voicing. The preface gives Dr. Hinson's helpful suggestions on pedaling, ornamentation, articulation and dynamics, as well as a suggested order of study. Careful editing allows the teacher and student to make informed choices in interpreting these masterpieces.

Mozart's orchestral-inspired Sonata in D Major, K. 311 contains elaborate pianistic treatment and an exciting sonata-rondo finale with a cadenza worthy of one of Mozart's concertos. The flashy third movement is full of many contrasts involving dynamics, mood and texture. Throughout the sonata, the left hand becomes a true partner in all aspects of the composition, and thematic material is spread over different registers of the keyboard.