Franz Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 13, D. 664 was originally thought to have been composed in 1825. However, recent scholarship suggests that the sonata was composed some years earlier during the summer of 1819, which Schubert spent at Steyr in Upper Austria.
He dedicated the sonata to Josephine von Koller, whom he described as “very pretty” and commended her as a “good pianist.” Indeed, the sonata’s overall cheerful mood, tinged with moments of anxiety, could quite possibly be a look into the composer’s infatuation. Concerning technical matters, this modest sonata is a rather important work in Schubert’s works.
Schubert struggled with the sonata form that had reached perfection at the hand of his great idol, Beethoven, and his early efforts in it were often laborious or fell back on predictable formulae. However, the first movement of this sonata was Schubert’s breakthrough, as its form flows naturally and unhindered.
Cast in the Classical three-movement design of Mozart and Haydn, this Sonata begins with a warm and lyrical Allegro moderato. Both of the movement’s themes are rich with substance—the first based on a dotted-rhythm that becomes the subject of imitation in the development, while the second features a charming motif that is unexpectedly used in the bass during a moment of anxiety.
Quite unusually, Schubert calls not only for a repeat of the exposition, but also of the development and recapitulation. A brief coda, based on the opening measures of the first theme, closes the movement in a moment of tenderness.
The middle movement, an Andante in D major, is the emotional center of the sonata. It opens with a placid chordal theme, also used in imitation like the first theme of the preceding movement, which is followed by a more emotional melody above a broken chord accompaniment.
The finale, however, is full of wit and good humor. In a frolicking compound meter, it maintains a constant forward momentum due to its lavish chromaticism and off-beat accents. Like the first movement, it too concludes affectionately with a final statement of its principal melody.
Here is Mr. Richter, to play Schubert’s magical music:
