Rondo alla turca

Mozart's finale is a piece of eighteenth-century exoticism, the Viennese idea of a Turkish military band imitated at the keyboard. Drumming repeated notes, clattering ornaments and sudden shifts of dynamic all imitate the original, and the effect works only if the imitation is exact. The humour lies in the precision of the mimicry.

Structurally it is a rondo, an A major refrain returning between episodes, one in A minor, and gathering weight towards a final flourish. It is exhilarating and immediately communicative, as well as a genuine study in fingerwork and Classical poise. The temptation is to take it too fast, and everything collapses when you do.

The repeated notes are the giveaway. They sparkle when played from the wrist and tire when played from the arm. Learnt slowly, with a light touch, it is one of the most enjoyable pieces in the repertoire. It makes a fair test of whether your scales and repeated notes are truly even.

About this edition

Rondo alla turca, from Piano Sonata No. 11, K. 331. Typeset by Aubrey Marks-Johnson, from IMSLP[1], licensed CC BY-SA 4.0[2]. Finale pages extracted for display; the adapted images are distributed under the same licence.

Score source · CC BY-SA 4.0