Haydn: Highest Composer In The Classical Period

The Austrian composer Haydn was one of the most prominent composers in the Classical period. He wrote 62 piano sonata solos, which is Haydn’s major keyboard work. His sonata works in early stage were composed as teaching pieces for students while his late sonatas were added new elements, for examples the growth of the exposition and development sections which made the work became more dramatic and artistic. This piano sonata was one of Haydn’s late sonata works composed in 1789-90.

The first movement generally has a lively character. It begins with a perky theme. Haydn frequently used alternation between staccato and legato with forzando (fz) signs on the last note of each phrase. It is then followed by a more lyrical theme, which is contrasting,