The Sonata for Two Pianos in

D major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Ch ...

, K. 448, is a work composed by

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

in 1781, when he was 25. It is written in

sonata-allegro form Sonata form (also ''sonata-allegro form'' or ''first movement form'') is a musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of the 18th c ...

, with three

movements Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

. The sonata was composed for a performance he would give with fellow pianist Josepha Auernhammer. Mozart composed this in the '' galant style'', with interlocking melodies and simultaneous cadences. This is one of his few compositions written for two pianos.

Description

The sonata is written in three movements: ;Allegro con spirito :The first movement sets the tonal center with a strong introduction. The two pianos divide the main melody for the exposition, and when the theme is presented, both play it simultaneously. Little time is spent in the development section; a new theme is introduced (unlike most sonata forms) before the recapitulation, repeating the first theme. ;Andante :The second movement is written in

ABA form ABA may refer to: Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, United States * Asahi Broadcasting Aomori, Japanese television station * Australian Broadcasting Authority Education * Académie des Beaux ...

. ;Molto allegro :The third movement begins with a galloping theme. The cadences used in this movement are similar to those in Mozart's '' Rondo alla Turca''.

Mozart effect

Mozart's K 448 was the composition used in the original study that led to the theory of the so-called

Mozart effect The Mozart effect is the theory that listening to the music of Mozart may temporarily boost scores on one portion of an IQ test. Popular science versions of the theory make the claim that "listening to Mozart makes you smarter" or that early childh ...

, which posited that listening to the piano sonata improved spatial reasoning skills, later widened in pop-science to an increase in IQ in general.

Notes

External links

*
Recording of Sonata for Two Pianos in D major
by Sivan Silver and Gil Garburg (archived on the

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...

) * {{Authority control Piano sonatas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Compositions for two pianos 1781 compositions Compositions in D major