How hard is Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664 to play?

Its passages grade from 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 101–104 at level 9.

Is there an easy part of Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664 for beginners?

Its easiest passage is level 9, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 101–104 for both hands together, the level-9 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 9 because a hand covers more than one position and it leaps a octave plus an octave.

What key and time signature is Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664 in?

Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664 is in A major, 3 sharps. The engraving on this page is in 4/4 time.

Can I practice Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664 online for free?

Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the one graded passage from Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.

Why is it called the Little A major Sonata?

It is the shortest of Schubert's finished piano sonatas, and the nickname separates it from his large A major sonata, D 959, written in 1828.

How many movements does the sonata have?

Three: an Allegro moderato in A major, an Andante in D major, and a final Allegro. This page covers the first movement.

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Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664

Franz Schubert (1797–1828) · sheet music

Key A major
Time 4/4
Levels 9
Passages 1

Your turn · both hands

Preparing your passage…

Franz Schubert, Austrian romantic (1797–1828). The reading release has 1 passage from this piece at level 9; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 101–104 for both hands together.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 101–104 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 Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664.

Hands together · bars 101–104 level 9

How to play Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664

Tempo:Allegro moderato means a moderate, singing pace; choose a speed where the long melody can breathe and the accompaniment stays even.
Right hand:Treat the right hand like a singer: connect the notes of each phrase, shape it with a soft rise and fall, and let the longer notes ring.
Left hand:Keep the accompaniment smooth and a step softer than the tune so the harmony supports rather than competes.
Hands together:Practice the passages where the hands trade the melody and the accompaniment slowly, listening for the tune in whichever hand carries it.
Pedal:Use light, quick pedal changes with the harmony so the sound stays clear, and avoid holding the pedal through changes of chord.
Dynamics:Schubert's contrasts are subtle, so use small changes in volume and let a sudden shift to a new key feel like a new color.
Practice:Learn the exposition in sections, then isolate the transition into the second theme, since that is where tempo often wobbles.
Reading:Read the key signature of three sharps, then scan each bar for accidentals; the development brings the most.

Common mistakes

Playing the accompaniment as loudly as the melody. Fix: Record yourself and balance until the tune is clearly in front.
Rushing through the development because the notes feel less familiar. Fix: Practice that section slowly and count it as though it were a new piece.
Over-pedaling through changes of harmony. Fix: Change the pedal with each new chord and listen for a clean sound.

Structure: sonata form

The movement follows the plan of sonata form: an exposition presents the themes, a development takes them into other keys, and a recapitulation brings them back home. Scholars have noted that the opening theme group itself has an A–B–A shape. The mood stays sunny rather than dramatic.

Exposition · Main themes (A major): A long singing melody in A major over left-hand broken chords, then further ideas that move away from the home key; read the shape of each phrase before you play.
Development · Working out: The material travels through other keys and textures, so expect more accidentals and keep the pulse steady.
Recap · Return (A major): The opening music returns in A major; the familiar tune lets you focus on voicing and shape.

About Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664

Schubert completed this sonata in July 1819 and dedicated it to Josephine von Koller, an 18-year-old pianist from Steyr in Upper Austria, whom he described as very pretty and a good player. The original manuscript is lost, and the sonata appeared in print only after his death as Op. 120.

It is the shortest of his complete piano sonatas and is nicknamed the Little A major to tell it apart from the much larger A major sonata, D 959, of 1828. Some older sources dated it to 1825, but it is now generally placed in the summer of 1819.

Writers often describe it as lyrical and carefree, a sonata in which Schubert does not seem to wrestle with Beethoven's model of sonata form. The first movement opens with a gentle, songlike tune over flowing broken chords in the left hand.

Schubert reused the opening theme of this sonata's slow movement in his song Der Unglückliche, according to the scholar Leo Black.
The first edition was published in Vienna in 1829, the year after Schubert died.
At its length, this is the shortest of Schubert's complete piano sonatas.

Why the first passage is level 9

That passage is level 9 rather than 8 because a hand covers more than one position, it leaps a octave plus an octave, the hands play different rhythms against each other, the clef changes partway through.

This is one long melody over a flowing accompaniment, so read it by phrase and decide which hand carries the tune at each moment. Three sharps in the key signature set the color, with extra accidentals in the middle of the movement.

Questions about Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664

How hard is Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664 to play?: Its passages grade from 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 101–104 at level 9.
Is there an easy part of Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664 for beginners?: Its easiest passage is level 9, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 101–104 for both hands together, the level-9 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 9 because a hand covers more than one position and it leaps a octave plus an octave.
What key and time signature is Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664 in?: Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664 is in A major, 3 sharps. The engraving on this page is in 4/4 time.
Who composed Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664?: Franz Schubert, Austrian romantic (1797–1828). Schubert completed this sonata in July 1819 and dedicated it to Josephine von Koller, an 18-year-old pianist from Steyr in Upper Austria, whom he described as very pretty and a good player.
Can I practice Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664 online for free?: Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the one graded passage from Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 664 in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
Why is it called the Little A major Sonata?: It is the shortest of Schubert's finished piano sonatas, and the nickname separates it from his large A major sonata, D 959, written in 1828.
Who was the sonata written for?: Schubert dedicated it to Josephine von Koller, an 18-year-old pianist from Steyr in Upper Austria.
How many movements does the sonata have?: Three: an Allegro moderato in A major, an Andante in D major, and a final Allegro. This page covers the first movement.

Every passage, easiest first

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

Level 9: bars 101–104 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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