Piano Sonata in G Major

After a long hiatus, I started writing a little piano sonata as a gift for a dear friend. The piece is partly modeled after some sonatas Haydn wrote in his early years, presumable for his students. I wanted to write something that I can play myself with my rather limited skills, so it's not too complicated. Still, the attached MP3s are computer-generated. Also, I have yet to add the dynamics I use to the score.

All three movements have a rising triad as characteristic motive, the slow second movement in a more drawn-out fort than the other ones. The Adagio features a strong walking bass line which is rather atypical for the overall style, but gives the movement a strong momentum. The Menuetto is rather simple to increase the contrast with the Trio that features suspensions etc., and should provide a joyous end.

Dear @Willibald,

First movement: This is a good galant style sonata movement like those of Scarlatti! Nice use of ornaments. I think changing some of the quavers can be more non-legato though to reflect the style.

Secons movement: Good use of the three part in b.17-21! Just find a little bit weird in b.12 when F# is resolved in R.H. but reappears in L.H.. 

Third movement: A lovely dance movement! I think b.9-10 quite weird to have a D minor cadence even it's temporarily in C major, and then directly returns to G major. Nice use of bassline at the beginning of the Trio! It's also nice to end with a minuet to a light styled sonata.

Overall I enjoy this galant style Sonata! Great job!

Henry

Quite good first part (I only got a bit tired of the Alberti bass...)

I like even more the adagio, very elegant and beautiful. The ritardo 7-1 (C#-D) is very unstable.

@Henry Ng Tsz Kiu Thank you very much! And thanks for pointing out the mistake in measure 9ff in my menuetto, as it should be either a F Major (with a touch of d minor) - G Major sequence , or through transposition a C Major - D Major sequence. Funnily enough, the f# in the slow movement was a difficult decision for me as, and I will revisit the other options to propel the music forwards.

@Luis Hernández Thanks for your comment! Do you mean by ritardo the passage in m.7 (Allegro)? It leads to a bifocal cadence, so it really is inherently unstable as afterwards the music could continue either in the key of the dominant or in the original key.

Hi, first of all, you can write the music as you like, of course.

I was talking about the Adagio, m. 8.

It's a "rule" of the fourth-species counterpoint (which is what you are using here). It's in most books, not only Fux.., for example Salzer & Schachter.

I also write what you have done here.... But in this style, so cole to the baroque, and with only two voices, D agains C# is very dissonant. If you have three or four voices, surely this is less evident.

But as I said, it's your piece.

Edited December 30, 20223 yr by Luis Hernández

@Luis Hernández Thank you for your clarification. I thought of this as a rather idiomatic phrase but will definitively check it again.

Willibald.pdfI am trying to send you some suggestions, but I got some computer problems. I will be back again

I put the message in the pdf (the pictures did not appear on my original message)

@panta rei Thank you for your suggestions. And I'll probably also change the notation. The suspended leading tone resolving upwards to the tonic is found in compositions of the young Haydn or in Gluck's works etc.; however, usually notated as an appogiatura which I will do as well.