Piano Sonata in A minor, D 845 (Schubert)

Conceived as a set, these works were composed during what was reportedly a period of relatively good health and spirits for Schubert and are praised for their quality and ambition.

[1][2] A plaintive, somewhat ominous pianissimo unison octave phrase ornamented with a mordent opens the work, with a contrasting chordal consequent.

The rhythmically similar first and second subjects of the exposition are not clearly separated structurally, a feature continued later in the ambiguous segue into the recapitulation.

This format, which avoids tonal monotony and produces a sense of departure and return, is identical to that of Schubert's Impromptu No.

The final variation, back in C major, is comparatively simple, with repeated chords in eighth-note triplets and a pastoral quality.

A minor/major, Trio in F major; Allegro vivace In compound ternary form, the shadowy, mercurial scherzo plays off of elements of the first movement (in particular the V-I-V-I chord sequence from the second theme) and synthesizes, reinforces, and summarizes harmonic and thematic relationships from throughout the sonata, an approach Schubert used in the scherzi in his mature piano sonatas.

Odd phrase lengths, subito effects, and unprepared, distant modulations give the scherzo a quirky character.