Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major, K. 414: III. Allegretto

Instrumentation

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Editions (2)

• Original Lvl 6 4m 30s
• Original Lvl 6 4m 30s

Musical Terms (10)

• Alberti bass Italian/English
  A broken-chord accompaniment pattern in which the notes of a chord are played in the order lowest–highest–middle–highest, creating a rocking, harmonic filler beneath the melody.
  Keep Alberti bass figures light and subordinate — they are harmonic padding, not melody. Use a different touch quality for the left hand: slightly less weight, less pedal, and a consistent dynamic level so the right-hand melody always sings above.
• Andante cantabile Italian
  At a walking pace, in a singing style. One of Mozart's most characteristic slow movement directions, calling for a lyrical, vocal quality.
  Project the melody as if sung by a soprano — with natural breath-points at phrase endings and a warm, connected tone. Avoid mechanical evenness; the cantabile quality requires subtle dynamic shaping within each phrase.
• con sordino Italian
  With mute. On the piano this historically indicated use of the soft pedal (una corda). Mozart used it in slow, introspective movements for a veiled, intimate tone.
  Use the soft pedal sparingly and with intention in Mozart's slow movements — particularly the C minor Fantasia K. 475. The effect should suggest a hushed, inward quality rather than mere quietness.
• Eingang German
  An improvised cadenza-like insertion at a structural pause, typically before the return of the main theme in a rondo. Mozart notated some but left others to the performer's invention.
  Where Mozart notates an Eingang, play it freely — it is an improvisatory gesture, not a metrically strict passage. A slight broadening before the Eingang and a natural acceleration into the returning theme gives it its theatrical effect.
• Empfindung German
  The quality of feeling and sensitivity in Mozart's slow movements — a directness of emotional communication.
  Mozart's slow movements speak directly to the emotions without Romantic self-consciousness. Play them without irony, without restraint, without embarrassment at their simplicity.
• grace English
  The specifically Mozartian quality of natural, effortless elegance.
  Mozart's grace is not ornamental; it is structural. The phrases balance and answer each other with a naturalness that conceals the art behind them. Stiffness, over-emphasis, and exaggerated rubato all destroy it.
• gracioso Italian
  Graceful, elegant. A character marking appearing in several Mozart sonata movements calling for refinement and natural charm rather than weight or display.
  Gracioso in Mozart means aristocratic ease — clean fingerwork, light bass, and a melody that flows without apparent effort. Avoid any suggestion of struggle or heaviness; the difficulty should be invisible.
• Mannheim rocket English
  A rapidly ascending arpeggio figure, typically forte and in unison, associated with the Mannheim orchestra style of the 1770s. Mozart absorbed this gesture early and it appears in several sonata expositions.
  Play Mannheim rockets with a decisive upward sweep and a strong rhythmic impulse on the first note. The figure should feel propulsive and exciting — a launch rather than a scale.
• Rondo Italian/English
  A form in which a main theme (refrain) alternates with contrasting episodes. In Classical sonatas the rondo typically appears as the final movement, combining wit and energy with formal clarity.
  In Mozart's rondo finales, each return of the main theme should feel fresh — slightly different in touch or voicing — while the contrasting episodes provide genuine contrast of character rather than just key change.
• singing allegro English
  Mozart's characteristic fast movements that retain a singing, melodic quality rather than becoming purely motoric.
  A fundamental quality of Mozart's allegro writing. Even in fast passages, the melodic shapes should be audible and shaped. Never sacrifice the singing line to speed.