The finale of Beethoven's Sonata No. 13, Op. 27, No. 1 combines a lively recurring tune with nearly continuous sixteenth-note motion. Marked Allegro vivace, it moves through contrasting episodes, increasingly active exchanges between the hands, and an extended closing section. Near the end, the fast music gives way to a recollection of the Adagio before a final Presto.

Opening theme: A short pickup leads into a right-hand melody decorated with trills and small runs. The left hand supplies quick moving figures, while accents bring out selected upper notes. The theme soon expands into right-hand octaves and chords over the running accompaniment. The writing alternates between connected phrases and detached, accented gestures, maintaining the same quick pulse through changes of register.

Contrasting episode: The active sixteenth notes shift into the right hand over a steadier bass. Repeated figures climb and descend, with chromatic changes altering their color. Chordal passages build energy before a closing idea places separated upper notes over repeated left-hand patterns. The theme then returns, recognizable by its melodic outline and ornaments, while the accompaniment continues to propel the music forward.

Central development: Short figures pass between the hands and appear at different pitch levels. The score becomes more insistent through repeated bass notes, thicker chords, accents, and widening registers. At other moments one hand sustains a line while the other continues the moving pattern. A gradual reduction in dynamics prepares another return of the opening idea.

Later return and coda: The theme and contrasting material reappear with changes in harmony, spacing, and accompaniment. Rapid passages alternate with chordal exchanges and marked upper notes. The coda extends the motion through repeated patterns, sustained bass support, and a rise toward a strong arrival. Instead of ending immediately, the music slows into Tempo I, recalling the Adagio's decorated melody and repeated chord accompaniment.

Presto ending: A trill and descending flourish connect the slow recollection to the final fast section. The main melodic shape returns in a broader written meter at the new tempo. Short chord gestures, quick exchanges, and rising dynamics lead to the last emphatic chords.

Interesting fact: This finale includes both a return to the preceding Adagio and a separate Presto ending; its closing pages therefore bring together contrasting parts of the sonata rather than staying at one speed.