Schubert is the last great composer whose output reserves an honoured place for the piano sonata. He composed his last three sonatas in the autumn of 1828, when at the height of his powers, and some six weeks before his death on 19 November. The penultimate Sonata in A major, D 959, is one of the most delicate, and imbued with the spirit of the Lied; it opens with an assured Allegro, its texture softened by the triplets which dominate and eventually conclude the movement. The element of fantasy evident in the intensely-felt development section is found again in the central part of the sadly swaying Andantino, compared by Brahms to a sorrowing lullaby. After the Scherzo and trio, the sonata ends with a sonata-form rondo marked Allegretto. Dated 26 September 1828, the final Sonata in B flat, D 960, a masterpiece among masterpieces, is marked by serenity and resignation. Its amplitude goes hand in hand with a great simplicity, as in the sublimely moving, heart-rending Andante sostenuto. After the tenderness and refinement of the scherzo comes a finale which blends rondo and sonata form, crowning this work like the last rays of sun in a life shortly destined to come to an end.