sonatina

A small sonata — a work in sonata form with typically two or three movements, shorter and less technically demanding than a full sonata. The sonatina is the fundamental vehicle of Classical piano pedagogy: its clear structures (sonata–allegro form, slow movement, rondo) teach formal thinking as well as technique. Kuhlau's sonatinas are among the most widely studied of all piano teaching pieces.

A sonatina is not a 'little' piece in expressive terms — it is simply a shorter, more concentrated one. Bring genuine musical conviction to the phrasing, dynamics, and voice-leading. The most common error is to play sonatinas too mechanically: the Classical forms are frameworks for expression, not cages.