Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331 — Variation No. 2

About this work

The second variation of Sonata K. 331 turns the theme’s 6/8 into a study in sound planes. In the right hand, the tune moves in short gestures and saves its trills for points of tension. Beneath it, groups of three travel almost continuously through the harmony. The written repeats make the symmetry of both sections especially clear.

Begin by reducing the accompaniment to the first note of each group. This framework checks the bass line, changes of position and harmonic arrivals. Restore the intervening notes with a flexible hand, then add the tune without accenting the start of every triplet.

Bring the hands together slowly enough to hear each cadence without breaking the flow. In the second half, anticipate the wider spans and changes of register. Ornaments should extend the line rather than suspend the bar. The MIDI file helps check continuity; the PDF preserves the articulation and exact layout of the engraving.

What the document containsScoring: solo piano. The 2-page PDF contains the complete variation with both sections and their repeats.Source and rights: Stelios Samelis’s engraving for the Mutopia Project is based on a Breitkopf & Härtel edition from Leipzig. The work and this edition are in the public domain. Every page links back to LesPartitions.info.