Type 4 sonatas comprise a variety of sonata-rondo mixtures, and Type 4 itself is a rondo which has been shaped to be in dialogue with Type 1 and Type 3 sonatas or from other perspectives. In standard practice this usually means that the stark AB juxtapositions of the simpler rondo format are converted into non-repeated expositions and a generally symmetrical recapitulation. Haydn also often treats this Type 4 sonatas freely, sometimes in asymmetrical or recomposed ways that challenge their expected recapitulatory functions. From the 1760s and 1770s onwards, Type 4 sonatas may be found as a...

Type 4 sonatas comprise a variety of sonata-rondo mixtures, and Type 4 itself is a rondo which has been shaped to be in dialogue with Type 1 and Type 3 sonatas or from other perspectives. In standard practice this usually means that the stark AB juxtapositions of the simpler rondo format are converted into non-repeated expositions and a generally symmetrical recapitulation. Haydn also often treats this Type 4 sonatas freely, sometimes in asymmetrical or recomposed ways that challenge their expected recapitulatory functions. From the 1760s and 1770s onwards, Type 4 sonatas may be found as a typical option for fast finales and slow movements, but, as noted by Malcolm S. Cole, the rondo format was used only rarely as the first movement.