Sonata in G major: third movement
The third movement of J. A. Benda's Sonata in G major is a quick, cheerful finale in 2/4, Octotune grade 4 of 8. The right hand runs in eighths and sixteenths over a light left hand, with leaps and short ornaments along the way.
At a glance
| Composer | J. A. Benda |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Beginner: grade 4 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: 1 sharp (F♯) |
| Time | 2/4 |
| Tempo | 60 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 60 measures, about 2:00 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | G3 to B5 |
| Left hand | D2 to E4 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Sonata in G major: third movement | 4 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
J. A. Benda was one of a large family of Czech musicians in the 1700s. This is the last movement of one of his keyboard sonatas, taken from the Mutopia Project's edition: short, bright and in G major (one sharp, F sharp), in a quick 2/4.
How it is built. The right hand does most of the running, in eighth notes and pairs of sixteenths, often in little broken-chord shapes. The left hand plays a light bass, mostly in quarters and eighths. Here and there the music leans toward other keys, bringing in C sharps, D sharps and G sharps.
The tricky parts
- Leaps. Both hands jump more than an octave in places. Find the landing note before you need it: look a measure ahead.
- Even sixteenths. Keep them light, from the fingertips, never rushed.
- Ornaments. Short trills and turns decorate the line. Octotune plays them for you but never waits for them, so learn the plain line first and add them later.
- 2/4. Two beats in a measure, "1 and 2 and". A finale like this should bounce, not hurry.
Practice plan
- Right hand alone in Wait for me; the app plays the left.
- Both hands at 50% speed, with Loop this measure on each leap.
- Play along, raising the speed a little at a time.
Before you start: Octotune's path through Unit 10, which teaches F sharp and the notes above and below the staves. The other sharps go a step beyond it.
Questions
Is Benda's Sonata in G, third movement, hard?
It is a Beginner piece, Octotune grade 4 of 8. The notes lie well under the hand, but it moves in quick sixteenths with leaps in both hands, so it asks for even fingers and looking ahead.
Credits and license
- Music: J. A. Benda
- Typeset by Rune Zedeler for the Mutopia Project
- License: Public Domain
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece