Originally titled "Five Piano Pieces" by Schnabel, it was later designated "Piano Sonata" at the suggestion of his pupil Eduard Erdmann, who consistently provided significant inspiration to Schnabel in his piano compositions. The work comprises five movements: the first, where a succession of weighty chords forms the thematic material; the hesitant second; the scherzo-like third; the extensive slow fourth; and the agile fifth movement finale. It demonstrates a cyclical interconnectedness, as the opening of each movement is anticipated by the conclusion of the preceding one. At the outset of the fourth movement, a twelve-tone row is strikingly presented; however, the entire movement is not systematically ordered based on this row, but rather it is employed as one constituent element of the work. Furthermore, in the finale, motifs from the preceding movements recur, bringing the entire work to a close under a unified motivic structure.

The score of this sonata, composed in the 1920s, exemplifies typical characteristics of Schnabel's middle-period works, particularly in its precise metronome markings that stipulate subtle tempo fluctuations, and in the exhaustive notation of the articulation and performance expressions desired by the composer. The phrase structure and tone rows are constructed with meticulous calculation, and Schnabel's performance directives are exceedingly intricate. Paradoxically, however, the work is conceived such that a performance effect akin to freedom and improvisation is attained through their "objective" realization.