Composed in 1784, this two-movement sonata was originally published as part of a triptych of piano sonatas dedicated to 15-year-old Princess Marie Esterházy to celebrate her marriage the previous year to Prince Nikolaus II (then 17 years old; he later became Haydn’s patron after the death of his father in 1790). The first movement, marked Andante con espressione, is a set of variations. The theme itself is punctuated by silences and by a harmonic scheme which takes some characteristically surprising turns as the writing becomes increasingly florid. The most dramatic variation comes with a shift from D major to minor before a return to the music of the opening. The second movement, Vivace assai, is also full of harmonic quirks, but now the music is energetic and Haydn develops his ideas with conciseness and subtlety, including a good deal of imitative writing, right up to the delightfully inconsequential ending. 

Nigel Simeone © 2024