This chapter presents a detailed analysis of the first movement of Mozart's Sonata in G Major, K. 283. Emphasis is given to gestural aspects of the music, including the dialogical treatment of motives and phrases. This movement is seen to embody the notion of “the thread” (“il filo”) that Leopold Mozart singled out as a mark of good composition. The psychological dimension of this music is seen to be rich in sensitivity (Empfindung), involving an active process of integration in which the work seems constantly to be listening to itself. Engagement is offered with theoretical works by Hatten, Caplin, Ratner, and Allanbrook, among other writers.
Keywords: gesture, motive, dialogical gestures, Caplin, Hatten, Ratner, Allanbrook, bifocal close, il filo, resolution