Sonata in C major, K. 545: I. Allegro
The first movement of Mozart's Sonata in C major, K. 545 (1788), the Sonata facile, is an Intermediate piece (Octotune grade 6 of 8). A simple, famous tune over an Alberti bass leads into long, even scales in sixteenth notes.
At a glance
| Composer | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Intermediate: grade 6 of 8 |
| Key | C major (no sharps or flats) |
| Time | 4/4 |
| Tempo | 132 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 73 bars, about 2:12 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | G3 to F6 |
| Left hand | C2 to D5 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Sonata facile in C, K. 545: I. Allegro | 6 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Mozart entered this sonata in his catalogue in 1788 as "a little piano sonata for beginners". It has been called the Sonata facile, the easy sonata, ever since. Its first movement, Allegro, is one of the most played pieces in the classical repertoire, and a very good teacher.
What's in it. A plain, singing tune in C major over an Alberti bass: the left hand breaks each chord into a low-high-middle-high pattern (C G E G). Then come long scales in sixteenth notes, up and down, in both hands. The movement is in sonata form: a first section, a development, and a return. The return begins not in C but in F major, which is unusual.
Why Octotune grades it 6. Speed and length. Nearly every beat is filled with sixteenth notes in one hand or both, and it lasts over two minutes.
The tricky parts
- Even scales. Smooth thumb-unders and finger-overs, with no bumps.
- A light Alberti bass. It should murmur under the tune, not thump. Keep the hand close to the keys and let the wrist rotate slightly.
- Trills and turns at the ends of phrases.
- Clarity. Mozart exposes every note; there is nowhere to hide.
Practice plan
- Scales first. Practise C, G, F and D minor scales, hands separately, for a week.
- Left hand alone with the Alberti bass, slowly and softly.
- Hands together, section by section, at 50–60% speed with the A–B loop.
- Speed up only when it is even. Clean and moderate beats fast and blurred.
Before you start: the whole Octotune path. Unit 4 and Unit 5 begin the C major scale in each hand; this movement needs scales in several keys, and the right hand runs up past high C.
Questions
Is Mozart's Sonata K. 545 easy?
Mozart called it a little sonata for beginners, but its first movement is intermediate: Octotune grades it 6 of 8. The notes are simple; the scales and the Alberti bass must be quick, even and light.
What is an Alberti bass?
A left-hand pattern that breaks a chord into low, high, middle, high (for C major: C G E G), repeated. K. 545 opens with one.
Credits and licence
- Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
- Typeset by Alejandro Sierra for the Mutopia Project
- Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece