Felix Mendelssohn composed three violin sonatas that we know of, and each is cast in some variety of the key of F: two in F major, and one in F minor. This is most likely coincidence, but one can't help wondering if there was a strong association for the young composer between the violin and that particular tonality. The earliest of these three sonatas is the Sonata in F major—composed in 1820 when Mendelssohn was not yet even a teenager. It was only discovered and published in the late 1970s. (It must not, however, be confused with the 1838 Sonata in F major, which was also long unknown to the world and only came to light when violinist Yehudi Menuhin discovered and edited it in 1953).

Like Mendelssohn's earliest string symphonies, the 1820 Violin Sonata was composed as a learning tool; the boy's teacher, Carl Friedrich Zelter, made him composer many exercises to make certain of a solid musical technique. So, as could be expected, it cannot compete with Mendelssohn's mature works in quality. Still, many a musician would feel quite satisfied having put to paper this 11-year-old's work.

The sonata has three movements, all conventional in type and layout: Allegro, Andante (in F minor), and Presto. The writing for the two instruments is graceful but not very difficult (quite unlike the 1838 Sonata!), making the work an admirable and gratifying one for students and amateur chamber musicians to play.

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