Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331 (300i), is a piano sonata in three movements. It is uncertain where and when Mozart composed the sonata; however, Vienna or Salzburg around 1783 is currently thought to be most likely. A typical performance of this entire sonata takes about 20 minutes. The last movement of Sonata K. 331 by W.A. Mozart, alla turca, popularly known as the Turkish March, is often heard on its own and is one of Mozart’s best known piano pieces: Mozart himself titled the movement Alla Turca. It imitates the sound of Turkish Janissary bands, the music of which was much in vogue at that time. Various other works of the time imitate this Turkish style, including Mozart’s own opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail. In Mozart’s time, the last movement was sometimes performed on pianos built with a Turkish stop, allowing it to be embellished with extra percussion effects.
