The Sonata in F minor, op. 33 was Kuhlau’s first. It is dedicated to Louis Spohr, the famous composer and violinist, who was Kuhlau’s old schoolmate, and he gave his all to please and impress his famous friend.

Kuhlau is good at baiting the hook for the listener, and the first movement starts with a surprising theme in the left hand of the piano. The sonata was given an excellent review in the leading musical journal of the time, Allgemeine musicalische Zeitung, which considered the work original and carefully elaborated. In particular, the final movement was “full of fire and life, distinctive in its idea and execution, conceived in one piece, indeed in one breath, a truly masterly movement in every respect”, as it said.