Mozart Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major K. 545 A Closer Look at Phrases

Mozart Piano Sonata No 16 C major K 545

Lauren Thaete

Music Phrases

When most people think of classical music, they think of Mozart due to his very precise structure and predictable music. In fact, his music was so perfect that the structure and motifs he used are still relevant in today’s music hundreds of years later. Specifically, Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major K. 545 by Mozart not only shows off the phrases we have studied in class, but also serves as an excellent reflection of Enlightenment ideals.

Sonata No 16. In C Major K 545 was a piece written for the full register of the piano at varying dynamics. The piece predominately features the upper register by giving the right hand both the melody as well as sixteenth note subdivision of the beat. The right hand’s subdivision then creates a quadruple simple feel that is emphasized by the homophonic chords in the left hand that outline the anacrusis and down beat of a four pattern. The harmony started as an Alberti bass that then transformed into functional diatonic chords which later became arpeggiated and incorporated with the right hand in a give-and-take imitation. Minus the exception of the development at the end of each phrase, the harmony stays on either I, IV, or V.

When looking at the melody, one can see many classical characteristics such as upper-neighbor ornamentations and trills. The melody is generally lyrical or stepwise, and any jump is made within a major triad. A special note about this piece is that the right hand not only serves to play the melody, but in the midst of the second phrase, serves to play part of the sixteenth note harmony as well.

Both of the phrases in this piece are made of two equal-length elongated sentences. The first sentence starts on I and ends on V (with the soprano and bass on sol), making the phrase structure and Half Cadence. Going against expectation, Mozart then used the first phrase’s dominant chord as the new tonic chord in the second phrase, which he resolved in the new key. The second phrase is a completely different thought from the first phrase, so the structure is contrasting instead of parallel. Since the ending of the second sentence included a soprano voice that ended on do by step and a bass line on the tonic, the ending of the second phrases is a PAC making the overall structure of the introduction a contrasting interrupted period.

 Mozart’s work reflected the Enlightenment for it had clear structure and development of ideas. Each phrase, though expanded from the normal sentence structure, are equal in length, symbolizing that equality between the middle class and nobility. The ornamentations reflect the exquisite architectural details we’ve observed on famous monuments. Though there is embellishment, the core of the melody is both tonal and lyrical making it accessible to the common man for music was meant for everyone. Even the cadences come to distinct and clear endings to emphasize the importance of order and structure within the Enlightenment society. In fact, one could even see the discussion of the Philosophes within a Salon in the introduction of the second phrase where the key changes, but the expectation of reach a PAC does not. The right and left hand work together on the harmony, which could symbolize the fusion of the high and middle class communicating new ideas about science or math together. The trills are even ‘questioned’ in a sense from what they used to be in the Baroque Period for now they occur on the beat starting with the main note instead of the Baroque trills which start on the note above.

Though Mozart may not have known exactly the extent as to how much his music reflected the Enlightenment times, one can still enjoy the structure and embellishments of Sonata No 16. In C Major K 545. The lyrical melody and tonal harmony only add to the predictable nature of classical music. Additionally, the sharing of the harmony between the two voices only clarifies that both music and the social classes of the Enlightenment have to work together to create a full functioning masterpiece.