Sonatina
The sonatina (Italian sonatina, diminutive of “sonata”) is a small, easy-to-play sonata, often used as a teaching piece. It usually has only two or three movements, and its first movement has no development section or only a very short one.
- Word
- Italian sonatina, diminutive of “sonata”
- Meaning
- smaller, easy-to-play sonata, often for teaching
- Movements
- usually two or three
- Big sister
- sonata
Small, easy and instructive
A sonatina is a smaller, easy-to-play sonata with a shortened development section. The word is the Italian diminutive of “sonata”. Such pieces served as teaching literature for amateurs. The first movement usually has no development section or only a very short one, and the number of movements is mostly two or three. In the sheet music archive you can see this in the two C major sonatinas by Clementi and Kuhlau.
First movement in ¢: an opening idea of quarter and eighth notes
An original example with the rhythm from the beginning of the first movement of Clementi’s sonatina (quarter note, two eighth notes, two quarter notes); the notes are freely chosen. As in the model, the movement consists of two repeated parts; the repeat signs come at the end of each part.
Final movement in 3/8: lively, with sixteenth notes
An original example of the rhythm from the beginning of the third movement in Clementi (two sixteenth notes, two eighth notes; in the second bar a quarter note and two sixteenth notes), with freely chosen notes. A three-eight bar has three eighth notes; the first is stressed.
What the archive pieces show
Both sonatinas are in C major. Clementi’s sonatina has three movements in three different time signatures. The first movement is brief: 38 bars in two repeated parts, and the opening idea returns in the second part in bar 24. Kuhlau’s sonatina is in the archive as two files: the first movement “Allegro” and the third movement “Rondo”. The rondo brings back the opening section several times, so that you can recognise the form just by turning the pages.
| Sonatina in the archive | Movements in the archive | Time signature | Key signature | What stands out on the page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clementi, C major, op. 36 No. 1 | three: Spiritoso, Andante, Vivace | ¢, 3/4, 3/8 | none, one ♭, none | First movement: part 1 bars 1–15, part 2 bars 16–38, both repeated; opening idea returns in bar 24 |
| Kuhlau, C major, op. 20 No. 1 | two files: 1st movement Allegro, 3rd movement Rondo | C (4/4), 2/4 | none | Rondo with several returns of the opening section, “Fine” at the end |
Sonatina with all three movements in one file
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Sonatine C-Dur Muzio Clementi, from: Six Sonatinas, op. 36 No. 1 · piano · 3 pages
Above the first bar is “Spiritoso”, the time signature ¢, no key signature. There are repeat signs after bar 15, before bar 16 and after bar 38. Movements 2 and 3 follow with “Andante” (3/4, one ♭, 26 bars) and “Vivace” (3/8, 70 bars).
Sonatina in two files
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Sonatine C-Dur, 1. Satz: Allegro Friedrich Kuhlau, from: Three Sonatinas, No. 1, op. 20 No. 1 · piano · 2 pages
Time signature C, no key signature, “Allegro.” and p in the first bar. The first part ends with a repeat sign; later “dolce” appears several times.
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Sonatine C-Dur, 3. Satz: Rondo Friedrich Kuhlau, from: Three Sonatinas, No. 1, op. 20 No. 1 · piano · 4 pages
Time signature 2/4, “Rondo.” and “Allegro”, p, an upbeat of two sixteenth notes. After the opening the opening section returns in bars 36, 84 and 119, and once more at the end in bar 151; the last page ends with “Fine”.
Sonatina and sonata
The difference lies mainly in size and ambition. A sonata usually has several movements; the sonatina usually has two or three and a shortened development section. The title alone does not say everything, however: Mozart’s “Sonata facile” (“easy sonata”) also has three movements and is nevertheless listed in the archive as Sonata No. 16. The name, too, is used inconsistently, and not every sonatina is easy. How a piece is built is shown only by the notation. More on the page for the sonata; the meaning of the individual parts is explained on the page for the movement.
Common mistakes
- Thinking a sonatina is “simple”: Even a small piece demands clean articulation and a steady rhythm; “easy to play” does not mean you can play it without practising.
- Overlooking the repeat signs: Clementi’s first movement is repeated in both parts.
- Equating the name with the genre: Whether a piece is called a sonatina is stated in the title of the sheet; length alone does not decide it.
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Related terms
SonataMovement (Satz)RondoSymphonyPianoRepeat signAlla breveThree-eight time
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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