Composed in 1773 and dedicated to Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, this is the fourth of the six piano sonatas, Op. 13 (Hob. XVI/21–26), consisting of three movements.

First Movement

The first movement, in D major, is an Allegro in 3/4 time. It begins with a distinctive theme characterized by parallel tenths in both hands. The second theme shifts to the left hand, with the right hand playing interjections. The development section (from m. 52) begins by presenting the opening theme in the dominant key. Subsequently, the second theme is also presented, and these two themes are treated almost equally. The recapitulation (from m. 99) is entered after a fermata, and the exposition is reproduced almost faithfully.

Second Movement

The second movement is an Adagio in 4/4 time, in D minor, the parallel minor of the first movement. In the first edition of this piano sonata, the time signature was 2/2. It is written in ternary form and begins with a melody in the right hand accompanied by thirds in the left hand. After a half cadence in m. 8, the middle section begins in F major, the relative major. A distinctive feature of this movement's ternary form is that when the opening melody returns (from m. 25), the accompanying left hand adopts the figuration that began the middle section. The movement concludes by sustaining the dominant for three measures, followed by a fermata, leading attacca to the next movement.

Third Movement

The third movement, the Finale, is a Presto in 3/4 time, in D major. It is written in rondo form, and its theme is characterized by double stops such as thirds and sixths. In the final return of this theme, a fermata is placed, followed by a 23-measure coda.