Summary: The word sonata comes from the Italian sonare , an old form of suonare , which means “to sound,” or “to play,” as in “to play an instrument.” And indeed, a sonata is always an instrumental piece. During the Baroque period, the term was applied to pieces for one, or sometimes two solo instruments, with or without keyboard accompaniment, but since about 1750 the term has most often referred to pieces either for solo piano or for piano and one other instrument.
