Janáček's only piano sonata, consisting of two movements: "Foreboding" and "Death." In "Foreboding," an ostinato superimposed on the melody gradually permeates the texture, leading to a dramatic development. In the subsequent "Death," this ostinato becomes a single motif pervading the entire movement, evoking the character of funeral bells.

The work was composed based on a tragedy witnessed by the composer amidst the rising tide of the national revival movement, culminating in the country's independence in 1918 (a young Czech man was shot dead by the military, which had been dispatched to quell a conflict between the ruling German-speaking citizens and local Czechs). The autograph manuscript bears the following comment by Janáček himself at its beginning:

"František Pavlík, a mere worker, fell, staining the white marble stairs of the Artists' House in Brno with blood. He had only come to petition for the establishment of a university, yet he was killed by the hands of brutal murderers. Leoš Janáček"

Although originally a three-movement work, the title of the second movement was changed from "Elegy" to "Death," and the final movement was burned just before the premiere. Janáček was not satisfied with the premiere either and threw the autograph manuscript into the Vltava River. However, the pianist who performed at the premiere possessed a copy, which has survived to the present day. Permission for publication from the composer was granted 18 years after the premiere.