As stated in the entry for K. 330, this sonata was also previously thought to have been composed in Paris, but recent research has identified it as a work from around 1783.

Vienna around 1783, when this work is believed to have been composed, marked the 100th anniversary of the Habsburg victory over the Ottoman army in the Siege of Vienna. The Turkish March in the final movement is thus thought to reflect these prevailing social conditions.

Although none of the movements contain sonata form, all movements are in the same tonic key, which can be seen to retain traces of the sonata da chiesa. Furthermore, the movement structure, beginning with variations, followed by a dance movement, and then a march, undoubtedly had a significant influence on Beethoven's "Funeral March Sonata," Op. 26.

First Movement: A major, 6/8 time, Variations

The barcarolle-like theme, based on three voices, has repeat signs for both its first eight-measure half and its subsequent ten-measure half.

In the first variation, the upper voice figuration is decoratively varied, and in the second variation, the theme's melody is again decoratively varied, primarily against an accompaniment of sixteenth-note triplets.

The third variation shifts to the parallel minor (A minor), and the ornamental figuration, which previously contained rests, is now replaced by continuous ascending and descending scalic ornamentation. One could also consider this figuration to have an affinity with the motif of the third movement.

From the fourth variation, the tonality returns to the tonic key, and the left hand, with crossed hands, handles both the bass and the melody. Such virtuosic and visual elements must have been important aspects of variations.

In the fifth variation, the tempo is lowered to Adagio for the first time, creating a striking contrast with the acrobatic fourth variation. The melody is adorned with even finer ornamentation before leading into the sprightly sixth variation. The meter changes to 4/4 time and the tempo to Allegro, incorporating all manner of ornamental techniques, such as circling figurations, arpeggios, and scale passages, to conclude the movement. It can be observed that the circling figuration at the beginning of this variation is foundational to the march theme of the final movement.

Second Movement: A major, 3/4 time, Minuet

Both the Minuet and the Trio are composed in binary form, with repeat signs for their respective first and second halves.

The Minuet theme recalls the opening theme of K. 309's first movement. The passage in sixteenth notes leads to a close in the dominant key in the first half, but this passage appears in the tonic key in the second half.

The Trio modulates to the subdominant key of D major. The first half features stepwise motion in parallel thirds and sixths, while in the second half, the Trio theme first appears in E minor and then develops into a resolute descending figuration in a four-octave unison. Utilizing motifs from the second half of the Minuet's main section, the Trio theme recurs in D major after passing through C major, F major, and D minor.

Such a tonal structure in binary form, and the development of the theme in the Trio section, closely approach sonata form.

Third Movement: A minor - A major, 2/4 time, Turkish March

This march, marked "Alla Turca" at the beginning, is arguably Mozart's most popular work.

It begins with a melody characterized by a circling figuration in A minor, which then, after a combination of stepwise ascending and descending motion in parallel thirds in C major (the relative major) (mm. 9ff.), develops into military march-like music in A major (the parallel major of the tonic key) (mm. 25ff.).

Subsequently, a passage of sixteenth notes appears, beginning with an inversion of the opening circling figuration in F-sharp minor (the relative minor of A major) (mm. 33ff.).

After this passage, the A major military march is interspersed again, and the opening circling figuration theme recurs in A minor (mm. 65ff.). After recapitulating the C major section (mm. 73ff.) and the A major section (mm. 89ff.), the movement concludes brilliantly with an extended coda based on the A major military march, recalling the inversion of the circling figuration.