This is the second of the six piano sonatas, Op. 13 (Hob. XVI/21–26), composed in 1773 and dedicated to Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, and it consists of three movements.

The first movement, in E major, is in Allegro moderato, 4/4 time. It begins with the tonic chord played by both hands. The opening theme is rich in ornamental notes, resembling turns. The development section (from m. 25) begins with the first inversion of the tonic chord of the relative minor, C-sharp minor, played by both hands. In the recapitulation (from m. 42), an approximately one-measure Adagio (m. 54) is inserted, which was not present in the exposition.

The second movement is an Andante in 3/8 time, in E minor, the parallel minor of the first movement. This movement is written in ternary form, but the middle section (from m. 29) does not introduce entirely new material; it begins by presenting the opening theme in the relative major, G major. A characteristic technique is the occasional interjection by the lower voice of the right hand, providing an accompaniment to the longer note values of the upper voice. Furthermore, the left hand sometimes does not have notes on the first beat or on the downbeat.

The third movement, the Finale, is in rondo form. It is in Tempo di Menuetto and in E major. The themes inserted against the rondo theme are often in the relative minor, C-sharp minor.