Two Schubert sonatas, both composed in A, one in major and one in minor key. Having this shared key is about all they have in common.
The sonata in A minor, D784, was composed in 1823. It followed a long period of bedrest at his father’s house. It is a tragic work, but also one that solidifies the style Schubert was already using in his songs. Schubert was finally able to put this musical genius in the piano. It was not published during Schubert’s life, but 11 years after his death.
The sonata in A major, D959, was composed in 1828. It was composed almost as a reaction to Beethoven’s death a couple of months before, and is full of referrals to the great master he both admired and feared. Beethoven’s shadow was like a colossal burden on the whole of European music, and Schubert felt it like that. This is probably the most popular among Schubert’s sonatas.