This two-movement sonata shows the youthful Haydn as a skillful inventor.

The first movement opens with a lovely melody, given a distinctive contour by careful pacing. Haydn showers it in arpeggios and, although it at first seems more aggressive, it quickly relapses into meditation. Haydn establishes that this is lyrical rather than dramatic music. A series of statements follow and after some short cascades it flows easily to a soft close. The briefer second movement follows and is not greatly different at first from the first movement in either spirit or material. Although it has no intensities, it has more purpose and the absence of the pauses found in the first movement keep it on a steady road. It picks up a small burst of energy but arrives at a simple close, one without particularly full characterization. This is appropriate to the quiet grace of the whole composition.

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