Genre: the church sonata, or sonata da chiesa, originated during the baroque. Like the sonata da camera (chamber sonata), it was usually scored for strings and continuo, but with a more serious tone, including more fugal writing and fewer dance movements. Church sonatas were often used in Italy during portions of the Mass, but could also be performed in secular concerts.1
Mozart’s church sonatas are some of the last examples of this genre. Unlike earlier examples, Mozart’s church sonatas are one-movement works.2
Mozart’s church sonatas are sometimes called his “Epistle Sonatas” because they were played at Mass after the Epistle reading. Mozart wrote them for the Salzburg Cathedral, where he was organist.3
Sources
Harvard Dictionary of Music, 4th ed., s.v. “Sonata da chiesa” (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2003).
