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Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 545 (Sonata facile)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) · sheet music

  • Key C major
  • Time 4/4
  • Levels 7
  • Passages 1

Your turn · both hands

 

 

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian classical (1756–1791). The reading release has 1 passage from this piece at level 7; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 5–8 for both hands together.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 5–8 at level 7.

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 Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 545 (Sonata facile).

  1. Hands together · bars 5–8 level 7

How to play Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 545 (Sonata facile)

  1. Tempo:Play the first movement at a comfortable Allegro in which the scales can be even; if the sixteenth notes start to blur, slow down until they are clean.
  2. Left hand:The Alberti bass is the heart of this movement; keep it soft, even, and slightly detached so that it supports the tune without any bumps.
  3. Right hand:Shape the opening theme like a sentence, lifting slightly at the end of each phrase, and keep the scale runs light and even.
  4. Fingering:Plan where your thumb passes under in each scale run and write the finger numbers in, so the fingering is the same every time.
  5. Hands together:Practice with the left hand alone first, then add the right hand softly, listening so the bass never outweighs the melody.
  6. Dynamics:Mozart's dynamics are small and precise, so make the soft passages truly soft and the louder ones only slightly bigger.
  7. Pedal:Use very little pedal; classical clarity comes from finger legato and clean articulation rather than sustained sound.
  8. Practice:Practice the bridge of scales hands separately at a slow tempo, then add the metronome and speed up one notch at a time.

Common mistakes

  • Playing the Alberti bass too loud so the melody is lost. Fix: Practice the bass at half the volume of the melody and listen for the tune on top.
  • Rushing the scale runs in the bridge. Fix: Practice them in groups of four notes with a stop between groups, then play straight through.
  • Pedaling through the changes of harmony. Fix: Play the movement without pedal and add it only when you have a specific reason.
  • Treating every note as equally loud and missing the phrase shape. Fix: Mark the high point of each phrase and let the line rise and fall toward it.

Structure: three-movement sonata (fast – slow – rondo)

The first movement is a compact sonata form with a clear contrast between a home-key theme and a second theme in G major. The slow movement is a gentle Andante in triple meter, and the finale is a rondo that keeps returning to its main tune. The key plan is straightforward: C major, G major, then back to C major.

I · Allegro (C major)
Bright Alberti bass under a singing tune, with scale runs bridging the sections. Even eighth and sixteenth notes are the main reading task.
II · Andante (G major)
A gentle, song-like movement in triple meter. Phrase shaping and a smooth legato are more important than speed.
III · Rondo: Allegretto (C major)
A light, bouncy refrain in two-four time that returns around contrasting episodes. Expect a playful touch and clear articulation.

About Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 545 (Sonata facile)

Mozart entered this sonata in his catalogue on 26 June 1788, the same day as his Symphony No. 39. The circumstances of its composition are unknown, but he described it as a little piano sonata for beginners, and it is sometimes called the Sonata facile or Sonata semplice. It was not published in his lifetime and first appeared in print in 1805.

The first movement opens with a simple theme over an Alberti bass, then moves through a bridge of scales to a second theme in G major. Its recapitulation begins in the subdominant, F major, a choice that Charles Rosen described as rare when the sonata was written. The slow movement is in G major, and the finale is a light rondo in C major.

Because Mozart aimed it at beginners, the sonata has become a standard step for students moving into classical repertoire. Even so, it asks for the things Mozart's music always asks for: clean scales, a light left hand, and shaping that makes each phrase sound like speech.

  • Mozart's own description of the sonata was a little piano sonata for beginners.
  • In the first movement, the opening theme returns in F major instead of C major, a move Charles Rosen called rare for its time and one Schubert later adopted.
  • Edvard Grieg arranged the sonata for two pianos in 1876 to 1877, keeping Mozart's part intact on the first piano and adding a new accompaniment on the second.
  • The bandleader Raymond Scott adapted the opening theme for his tune In an Eighteenth Century Drawing Room.

Why the first passage is level 7

That passage is level 7 rather than 6 because its chords stretch wide, it runs fast figuration.

The passage engraved here has the Alberti bass and sixteenth-note runs typical of the first movement. It sits at a mid-high reading level, with a few ledger lines and quick note values.

Questions about Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 545 (Sonata facile)

How hard is Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 545 (Sonata facile) to play?
Its passages grade from level 7 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 5–8 at level 7.
Is there an easy part of Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 545 (Sonata facile) for beginners?
Its easiest passage is level 7, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 5–8 for both hands together, the level-7 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 7 because its chords stretch wide and it runs fast figuration.
What key and time signature is Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 545 (Sonata facile) in?
Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 545 (Sonata facile) is in C major, no sharps or flats. The engraving on this page is in 4/4 time.
Who composed Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 545 (Sonata facile)?
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian classical (1756–1791). Mozart entered this sonata in his catalogue on 26 June 1788, the same day as his Symphony No.
Can I practice Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 545 (Sonata facile) online for free?
Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the one graded passage from Piano Sonata in C Major, K. 545 (Sonata facile) in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
Why is K. 545 called the Sonata facile?
Facile means easy, and the nickname reflects the sonata's reputation as a gentle introduction to classical style; Mozart himself called it a little sonata for beginners.
When was Mozart's Sonata in C major published?
Mozart did not publish it himself. It first appeared in print in 1805, after his death.

Every passage, easiest first

The reading release grades one passage of this piece. Open any of them in the reader:

Level 7
bars 5–8 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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