Taught by renowned pianist
Orli Shaham
Mozart’s Piano Sonatas are workshops in compositional craftsmanship, studies in musicianship and technique, and miniature operatic dramas staged for keyboard. In this course, Juilliard professor and Mozart-specialist Orli Shaham takes you inside all 18 Sonatas, revealing their historical meanings and demonstrating their continued relevance for practicing musicians and listeners today. Intended for pianists interested in elevating their Mozart playing and deepening their knowledge of the Classical Style, the lessons herein are equally enlightening and entertaining for general music lovers.
Introduction: History and Style
In this introductory lesson, Orli Shaham investigates the historical origins of Mozart’s Piano Sonatas and considers the many ways pianists can employ expressive devices to capture the style and character of the music. Featuring excerpts from all 18 Sonatas.
First Movements and Sonata Form
In this lesson, Orli Shaham takes a deep dive into classical sonata form through lengthy case studies from the first movements of Mozart’s Piano Sonatas. Using the C major Sonata K. 330 as a model, Shaham traces the elements of sonata form in terms of a character drama unfolding at the keyboard. She then considers expositions and developments from five other Sonatas, revealing the flexibility and variety with which Mozart approaches form. Finally, Shaham shares a special moment found in the recapitulation of every classical sonata, and compiles all 18 instances from Mozart’s cycle.
Second Movements and Aria Form
Following up on her deep dive into 1st movements and sonata form, in this lesson Orli Shaham enters the operatic world of 2nd movements. While opera permeates all of Mozart’s writing, his slow movements in particular embody the form, style, and characters of his staged works. Shaham reveals the diversity with which Mozart was able to imitate operatic forms, comparing and contrasting 2nd movements from six different Sonatas.
Third Movements and Virtuosity
After the more inward lyricism of Sonata seconds movements, in this lesson Orli Shaham jumps into Mozart's fleet-fingered third movements. These are joyous, public displays that challenge the pianist to capture the music's clever twists and turns. Shaham reveals how Mozart defies formal conventions and experiments with genre and texture, while breaking down the most virtuosic passagework for both right and left hand from the 18 Sonatas.
Ornamenting Mozart
Although there is a tendency to regard Mozart's scores as sacred, Mozart himself was often just writing down short-hand cues for improvisation. In this lesson, Orli Shaham tackles the topic of ornamentation, showing that it is not the printed note that is sacred, but its underlying structure. With the very same voice leading progression, you can take one of Mozart's themes and reimagine it with ever more elaborate decorations. Shaham takes examples from Mozart's Sonatas where the composer provides transcribed models for ornamenting themes, showing how the variety and ingenuity of a given Mozart embellishment derive from the fixed melodic contour and harmonic framework of the original passage.
Mozart in Minor
Mozart so often composed in major key tonalities that any utterance he made in minor was a significant event. In this lesson, Orli Shaham visits the dark side of Mozart’s Piano Sonatas, analyzing the two minor-key sonatas as well as other movements and moments that show off how the composer treats the minor mode. As Shaham reveals, composing in minor was always an emotionally draining experience for Mozart.
Quick Tips
Join Orli Shaham for a lightning round of quick tips to help you master your Mozart Sonata. Beginning with safe and effective finger stretches, Shaham shares her secrets on trill fingerings and exercises, articulation, pedaling, and more!
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Unlock Course →Hailed by the New York Times as a "brilliant pianist," Orli Shaham has performed widely across five continents, soloed with most of the major orchestras in the United States, and teaches at The Juilliard School.
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