Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K. 310

Mozart composed several notable works between November 1777 and July 1778, while on the ill-­fated journey to Mannheim and Paris—a trip marked by his mother’s death on July 3. The powerful emotion of this piano sonata in A minor is often said to reflect Mozart’s anguish and sorrow following her death. Indeed, the paper used for this manuscript dates the work to the time of her passing. The sonata likely held deep personal meaning for Wolfgang’s sister, Maria Anna, as well. After their father’s death in 1787, she kept the manuscript even when Wolfgang requested the return of the works that remained in Salzburg.