Piano Sonata in F major

Between Allegro and Adagio

K. 280 sets an expressive Adagio between an Allegro assai and a Presto. The inspected score excerpts show a lilting slow movement and sharply contrasted outer movements. Dossin highlights this sonata, alongside K. 279, for developing a singing touch. Treating the Adagio as a melody with its own direction helps it become more than a rest between two lively movements.

At the keyboard

Try singing a short Adagio phrase before playing it, then notice which accompanying notes need to recede. In the first movement, compare the weight of a chord with the lighter notes that follow. Practise the Presto slowly enough to hear the ends of its little gestures; increasing speed should not erase those articulations.

Music in this edition

1. Piano Sonata in F major