Clementi used the key of F minor for the first time in this work. While the serious expressive techniques are reminiscent of Haydn's keyboard sonatas from the Sturm und Drang period (e.g., Hob.XVI-20, C minor, composed 1771), Clementi's forms remain neat and concise, unthreatened by the profound emotions. The work can also be seen as a precursor to Beethoven's later "Appassionata" Sonata (1807).

Background of Composition

Clementi, who moved from Rome to England at a young age, spent seven years under the patronage of Lord Beckford, a nobleman in Dorset, England, from 1766. After establishing himself as a harpsichordist in London in 1771, he began serious compositional activity in the late 1770s. It is certain that his concert tour on the continent, which began in 1780, was the catalyst. In Vienna, where he performed with Mozart, he signed a contract with the influential publisher Artaria, and later with a publisher in Paris. This sonata is the last of the Six Sonatas, Op. 13, published by the 33-year-old Clementi at the end of his multi-year tour. It was initially published privately and later reissued in 1801 by Clementi & Co., a company he himself founded.

Musical Analysis

First Movement: Sonata form without the recapitulation of the first theme. It is almost consistently unified by triplet runs, but the second theme in A-flat major is characterized by repeated eighth notes. Since only the first theme is developed in the development section, the recapitulation begins with the second theme, led by the dominant chord of F minor, but it is notably recapitulated in the same key of A-flat major as in the exposition.

Second Movement: C minor, Largo e Sostenuto. A type of sonata form. A polyphonic theme reminiscent of a string ensemble is followed by a lyrical second theme in E-flat major. This theme eventually modulates to G minor and develops the undulating motif of the second theme.

Third Movement: Presto, sonata form. A technically brilliant finale that extensively uses the keyboard's range. The simple first theme, presented in the right hand, is divided between the bass and treble registers by hand crossing on its second appearance. The subsequent second theme in A-flat major utilizes the "undulating" motif from the second movement, maintaining consistency across the movements.