Although 1776 was a year of revolution elsewhere, the great event for Haydn, living in isolation on the Esterhazy estate, was a fire that destroyed the original manuscripts of some sonatas. This sonata was the second in a set of six.

The first movement opens with a suave theme followed by a syncopated second subject. The harmonic relationships of the central development turn about in surprising ways. The theme itself twists with abundant use of broken chords. The minuet follows without pause. It's a scattering of sound around the idea of a dance and the motion is gentle and elegant. The last movement has a hard driving melody with a roller coaster motion. A firm bass spurs it on but the tempo relents for the music to take account of itself. The music resumes its headlong flight. The music stops rather than ends, a frequent joke of Haydn's.

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