How hard is Sonatina in G Major to play?

Its passages grade from level 2 to level 9 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 25–28 at level 9.

Is there an easy part of Sonatina in G Major for beginners?

Yes. Start with bars 3–4 for the right hand alone, the level-2 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 2 because notes come faster than one per beat and it leaps a major third.

What key and time signature is Sonatina in G Major in?

Sonatina in G Major is in G major, 1 sharp. The engraving on this page is in 4/4 time.

Who composed Sonatina in G Major?

Thomas Attwood, British classical (1765–1838). Thomas Attwood (1765-1838) was an English composer and organist.

Can I practice Sonatina in G Major online for free?

Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 18 graded passages from Sonatina in G Major in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.

Who was Thomas Attwood?

An English composer and organist born in 1765 who studied with Mozart in Vienna and later became organist of St Paul's Cathedral in London. He was also a friend of Mendelssohn.

What are Attwood's easy sonatinas?

They are four short sonatinas, in G, C, F and D, published together with a set of easy progressive lessons for young beginners on the pianoforte or harpsichord. The G major sonatina is the first and has three movements.

Is Attwood's Sonatina in G in the public domain?

Yes. Attwood died in 1838, and both a scan of the original Longman & Broderip print and a free modern typeset edition are on IMSLP.

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Sonatina in G Major

Thomas Attwood (1765–1838) · sheet music

Key G major
Time 4/4
Levels 2–9
Passages 18

Your turn · both hands

Preparing your passage…

Thomas Attwood, British classical (1765–1838). The reading release has 18 passages from this piece at levels 2–9; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 3–4 for the right hand alone.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 25–28 at level 9.

Your practice path

Learn it the way teachers do: each hand on its own, then together, then the hard bars. Each step is a real graded passage of Sonatina in G Major.

Right hand alone · bars 3–4 level 2
Hands together · bars 17–20 level 4
The hardest bars · bars 25–28 level 9

How to play Sonatina in G Major

Tempo:Allegro in common time should feel bright but not hurried. Pick a tempo where the left-hand eighth notes stay even and you can still sing the tune.
Right hand:The right hand carries the tune with scale runs and small skips. Shape each phrase with a gentle rise toward the middle and a soft landing.
Left hand:The left hand plays broken chords. Keep it steady and a little softer than the right hand so it supports without dominating.
Hands together:Learn each hand alone, then join them a phrase at a time. Make sure the left-hand notes fall exactly with the strong beats of the tune.
Fingering:Plan the scale fragments in the right hand so the thumb passes under at the same place each time. Mark one fingering and keep it.
Practice:Play the first phrase in four short pieces and repeat each piece until it is secure. Link the pieces only when each one is comfortable.
Dynamics:Classical style likes contrast. Try playing the repeated phrase softer than the first time, as if answering a question.

Common mistakes

Playing the broken-chord accompaniment too loudly. Fix: Practice the left hand alone at a gentle volume and then keep it softer than the right when you combine them.
Forgetting the F sharp in G major. Fix: Say the key signature aloud before you play and circle each F in the first phrase.
Starting the pickup notes as if they were a full bar. Fix: Count the missing beats before the pickup so the first full bar lands on a strong downbeat.

Structure: sonatina in three movements

A sonatina is a short sonata, here in three movements: fast, moderate and fast. The opening Allegro is in common time, the Minuetto is a graceful dance in triple time, and the closing Rondo in 2/4 brings back a bright refrain between contrasting passages.

I · Allegro (G major): A lively opening in G major with a singing melody over a broken-chord accompaniment. The passages on this page come from this movement.
II · Minuetto, Andante: A calmer dance movement, to be played lightly and gracefully.
III · Rondo, Allegro: A cheerful refrain that returns between contrasting episodes, so it asks for crisp, clear articulation.

About Sonatina in G Major

Thomas Attwood (1765-1838) was an English composer and organist. The Prince of Wales paid for him to study abroad, first for two years in Naples and then in Vienna, where he became a favorite pupil of Mozart. In 1796 he was appointed organist of St Paul's Cathedral and composer of the Chapel Royal, and in later life he was a friend of Felix Mendelssohn.

This sonatina is the first of four, in G, C, F and D, that Attwood published with a set of easy lessons fingered for young beginners on the pianoforte or harpsichord, issued in London by Longman & Broderip. Sonatina I has three movements: an Allegro, a Minuetto marked Andante, and a Rondo marked Allegro.

The music follows the clear, balanced style of Mozart's circle, with a singing tune on top and broken chords below. It makes a gentle first step into classical style before the better-known sonatinas of Clementi and Kuhlau.

Mendelssohn dedicated his Three Preludes and Fugues for organ, Op. 37, to Attwood.
Attwood's studies in Naples and Vienna were paid for by the Prince of Wales.
The original title page says the lessons are suited to pupils at an early stage, and the hand positions are printed before the first lesson.

Why the first passage is level 2

That passage is level 2 rather than 1 because notes come faster than one per beat, it leaps a major third, it has dotted rhythms, it moves in eighth notes.

G major, one sharp, in 4/4, starting with a two-note pickup. The tune moves in steps and small skips over a broken-chord left hand in steady eighth notes.

Questions about Sonatina in G Major

How hard is Sonatina in G Major to play?: Its passages grade from level 2 to level 9 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 25–28 at level 9.
Is there an easy part of Sonatina in G Major for beginners?: Yes. Start with bars 3–4 for the right hand alone, the level-2 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 2 because notes come faster than one per beat and it leaps a major third.
What key and time signature is Sonatina in G Major in?: Sonatina in G Major is in G major, 1 sharp. The engraving on this page is in 4/4 time.
Who composed Sonatina in G Major?: Thomas Attwood, British classical (1765–1838). Thomas Attwood (1765-1838) was an English composer and organist.
Can I practice Sonatina in G Major online for free?: Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 18 graded passages from Sonatina in G Major in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
Who was Thomas Attwood?: An English composer and organist born in 1765 who studied with Mozart in Vienna and later became organist of St Paul's Cathedral in London. He was also a friend of Mendelssohn.
What are Attwood's easy sonatinas?: They are four short sonatinas, in G, C, F and D, published together with a set of easy progressive lessons for young beginners on the pianoforte or harpsichord. The G major sonatina is the first and has three movements.
Is Attwood's Sonatina in G in the public domain?: Yes. Attwood died in 1838, and both a scan of the original Longman & Broderip print and a free modern typeset edition are on IMSLP.

Every passage, easiest first

The reading release grades 18 distinct passages of this piece. Open any of them in the reader:

Level 2: bars 3–4 right hand · bars 9–10 right hand
Level 3: bars 1–4 right hand · bars 7–10 right hand · bars 9–12 right hand · bars 9–16 right hand · bars 11–14 right hand · bars 13–16 right hand · bars 15–18 right hand · bars 17–20 right hand
Level 4: bars 17–20 both hands
Level 5: bars 1–4 both hands · bars 9–12 both hands · bars 9–16 both hands · bars 13–16 both hands · bars 17–22 both hands
Level 7: bars 7–18 both hands
Level 9: bars 25–28 both hands

More pieces to sight-read

Score: public-domain engraving from the corpus (pdmx), graded by the piano-reading-v2-20261023-identity-audit reading release.

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