The finale of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 28, Op. 101, is an energetic Allegro that combines a firm principal theme, running sixteenth notes, lyrical episodes, and an extended fugue. The hands frequently exchange melodic material, and several voices move independently within the piano texture. After the fugue builds to a large return, familiar themes lead into a varied coda and a forceful final cadence.

Opening and repeated section: A sustained upper trill sounds while lower chords gradually build underneath. The principal theme then enters with accented intervals and a quick rising figure. Running right-hand sixteenths continue above a moving lower line, and fermatas briefly interrupt the motion. The theme passes between registers and hands. Lower runs answer upper phrases, while held inner notes connect the changing figures. The printed repeat begins after the introductory trill passage.

Lyrical contrast and closing gestures: A grazioso passage places a singing upper line above small accompanying figures divided between the hands. The melody often enters after the accompaniment has already begun. Stronger chords and an animando lead to a quieter upper phrase, followed by livelier dotted intervals and lower chords. An acceleration brings arpeggios, running notes, and fuller harmonies. Short soft chords and alternate endings complete the repeated section.

Fugue: A tranquil passage of longer upper chords and broken lower notes leads to rests and a fermata. The left hand then begins a quiet theme in the low register. Further entries join it, creating a fugue in which the recognizable figure moves through different voices. Short trills, chromatic lines, and overlapping sixteenth-note patterns appear in both hands. The texture grows denser as the entries rise through the keyboard. Accents, wider leaps, and sustained inner notes add weight before a broader passage prepares the return.

Return of the main material: At Tempo I, rapid figures climb from the deep bass into a full A major statement of the principal theme. The running passages and more lyrical ideas return with altered details. Melody and accompaniment continue changing roles, sometimes placing the important line below an active upper part. A tranquil phrase, livelier chordal writing, and another acceleration bring back the contrast between connected melody and brisk gestures.

Extended coda: Quiet repeated lower figures support held upper harmonies, followed by pauses and brief imitative entries. A passage marked Quasi Tempo rubato gives way to a dolce espressivo recollection of the singing material. Short trills and runs decorate it. Near the end, very low left-hand sixteenths repeat beneath upper melodic fragments. The music slows into a fermata before Tempo I releases an impetuous rise through full chords. Widely spaced final chords and rests close the movement.

Interesting fact: The fugue starts with the left hand alone in a low register; the later entries make its initially spare theme part of a much denser texture.