Three versions exist of this one-movement, classically oriented sonata: the original publication of 1810, a simplified version from 1822, and a later but undated arrangement by Sor's colleague Dionysio Aguado, who doused the music in a Romantic drama somewhat removed from Sor's more refined style. In every version, the work's structure remains the same and is beholden to the sonata-allegro movements of Mozart and especially Haydn. A slow Siciliano in the minor mode serves as an introduction; it's a procession of short phrases separated by brief pauses and soon kept on track by an ominous, thudding bass note. Romantically inclined performers can turn this into a highly effective funeral march. The movement's main matter enters with a lively theme that seems celebratory after the grim introduction. The fast tempo relaxes a bit for the second main theme, which might have emerged from a music box. Through much of the exposition, a quicker, more throbbing version of the introduction's ostinato reappears in the bass, giving the music further propulsion. The development section is brief but stormy, a reaction against the errant harmonic shifts that usher it in. The recapitulation slips in smoothly, neatly returning the movement to the main key. And even though by Sor's time a sonata conventionally consisted of three (sometimes four) movements, no slow movement or rondo round off this work.

© James Reel, Rovi