The second installment of The Violin class covered the Sonata. A sort of confusing term actually that is used to describe a number of very different things. The word Sonata actually comes from the Italian word Sonare, meaning 'to sound'. It was used to articulate when a piece should be played rather than sung (Cantare was used to indicate 'to sing'). This rather vague beginning meant that pretty much any piece of music NOT sung was a Sonata. It continued on through history to rest its hat as a term that defines the structure of independent movements and the layout of movements in a multi movement work. How confusing!  In this relatively brief diatribe I will try to focus on the Sonata as a multi movement work, and used most often in violin repertoire.

Baroque

In the Baroque era a sonata was a piece of music for one or two solo instruments and continuo (generally a keyboard instrument of some kind plus an additional string instrument to play the bass notes), or for solo instrument. The trio sonata was written for two solo instruments and continuo and followed all of the same restraints and requirements as the solo sonata. Religion and Court often dictated the type of music needed at any given function and consequently two distinct types of Sonatas sprung to life: the Sonata da Camera and the Sonata da Chiesa. These types were written as trio sonatas, solo sonatas and sonatas for one soloist plus continuo. 

The Sonata da Camera was used specifically for courtly purposes and often, although not always, used popular dance styles as a means of organizing movements. These were composed for secular functions away from the church and the music often reflects that. The Italian composers from the Roman tradition (think Corelli) ordered their sonatas slow-fast-slow and of the sonatas I've heard there is no obvious dance melodies used. In the late Baroque the keyboard parts were fully composed and referred to as obbligato. The following is an example of Locatelli's work. He was very important for many reasons but mainly because he was a student of Corelli's, a virtuoso violinist, he also worked for many years in Amsterdam, a hot spot for printing and publishing in Europe at the time. Consequently his music spread far and wide and influenced many.

The following is the collection of Bach Sonatas for violin and harpsichord. They also do not follow the trend of using dance forms but are far more standard than those of Locatelli. If you have the time, I encourage you to listen to all of them. J.S. Bach was so imaginative and innovative, you can really hear the progress made in the sonata genre. The violin and Harpsichord are treated equally and share material. This really marks a change in approach from soloist and accompaniment to two equal collaborators.

For those wondering why I have not yet included any solo Bach partitas - voila! See below. The Partita No. 3 in E major makes use of popular French Dance types after the opening, ever so famous, Preludio. J.S. Bach really does justice to the genre and the violinist in his solo works. They are just fantastic! Each is very different and with a little research you can find the origins of his influence. I read in my studies that he spent quite a bit of time transcribing works by Vivaldi and you can definitely hear some of that flashy bow work here, particularly in the Preludio. 

The Sonata da Chiesa was written with religious intent and generally opened with a slow first movement, followed by a fugal second movement. Biber (which my autocorrect really wants to change to Bieber) has some crazy music, so so beautiful that isn't played often anymore. Today he is most often remembered for his Rosary Sonatas (also known as Mystery Sonatas), thought to have been written around 1676. They are a series of 16 short sonatas for violin and continuo with a passacaglia for solo violin as the finale that is AWESOME! I really wish it was performed more often. Each of the sonatas has a title related to the Christian Rosary devotion. Biber is important, and although he was quite forgotten for many years his music is demanding and often employs scordatura and other virtuosic techniques. In one of the Rosary Sonatas the A and D Strings are actually crossed below the bridge - crazy!

If you want to skip directly to the Passacaglia then skip to the next video.

J.S. Bach wrote both solo Sonatas and Partitas. The Partitas, as stated previously are secular and dance influenced. His solo Sonatas follow the traditional Sonata da Chiesa model of Slow Introductory movement, followed by a fast fugal movement, the third movement being slow and lyrical and ending with a quick Allegro or Presto movement. I am currently trying to conquer the A minor Sonata (probably my favorite of the 3 solo sonatas) so I thought I would include it here.

And being the enthusiast I am for this stuff I couldn't resist leaving a collection of J.S. Bach's complete Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin. Although they fell into obscurity for some time we can thank Joseph Joachim for rediscovering them and popularizing them. They are now required materials for college auditions, some orchestral auditions and many high level competitions. There is so much to manage as a violinist and as a musician in these works, they are yet another reminder of Bach's greatness.

And finally...no discussion of the Baroque violin sonata would be complete without the inclusion of Tartini's 'Devil's Trill' Sonata. This piece supposedly came to him in a dream in which Tartini heard the Devil play the violin and was shocked and amazed by what he heard. He wrote this sonata as an attempt to capture what the Devil played in his dream. I used to think this piece got its nickname from how devilish and wild the trills are to play - it was not until several years later that I heard the story about his dream. The trills sound wicked hard, and they are tricky to play but they sound so Bad-ass (pardon my French). Pretty cool stuff.

Classical

The sonata as we know it today took root in the Classical era simultaneously as an organizational method and a genre of music. As a term it was applied to the structure of individual movements and the layout of movements in a multi-movement work. These multi movement works were also known as Divertimento, Serenade and Partita, and sometimes Sonatina was used instead of Sonata to indicate a smaller or shorter sonata or perhaps a less technically demanding piece. The term Sonata was standardized by Haydn in the 1770s and was increasingly used to describe solo keyboard works AND works for keyboard and one solo instrument - often violin or cello. Many of the Sonatas written by Haydn and Mozart are just two movements long, however three movements became standard during the Classical era. Movement order and style from this period (and later) are most often the following; I. Allegro (in sonata form) II. Slow movement of some kind or occasionally a Minuet and Trio OR Theme and Variations III. Allegro or Presto (often in rondo form). The Classical era gave rise to the amateur musician, a person with the means and desire to study an instrument at home for their own pleasure and enjoyment. Many composers were also teachers and wrote music for their students. The sonata was a popular genre because given the guidelines of the genre and use of Sonata form, it was relatively easy to write, and was the ideal type of music for those seeking knowledge and music as amusement in the home. C.P.E Bach was known as the champion of the amateur musician. He wrote 5 sonatas for violin and keyboard. They are more indicative of the early Classical style rather than what we hear in Mozart's music.

The keyboard really comes into its own in the classical era. It is no longer just accompaniment AT ALL. In fact, several composers - Mozart and Beethoven particularly title their works Sonata for Piano and Violin. In the following Mozart Sonata you can see the score - and it really shows how challenging the piano part is. You can hear and see the interplay between instruments really clearly. Both performers must have great skill and command of their instruments to successfully perform these sonatas. Full of grace, character, fire, beauty, motion and lyricism performers must bounce between these states extremely quickly. This is a two movement sonata - the first movement is in Sonata form (how confusing) and the second is a Theme and Variations.

Romantic

The Romantic era really expanded on what was codified in the Classical era. Composers solidified the use of Sonata form and the use of 3 or 4 movements in a multi movement work. This is also, as with most music for violin, when our great and most loved repertoire was composed. Again, I am going to do my best to refrain from just writing lists but some of these pieces are just THE BEST! What is so great about the violin is the ability to sound so intimate and precious and also so bold and dominating. That is just one of the reasons it finds so much success in so many genres. But maybe I'm biased.

Lets talk about Beethoven - everything always seems to come back to Beethoven. He wrote 10 sonatas for piano and violin and they span a large portion of his composition career (although he sadly did not write any in his late period, after he lost his hearing completely - those would have been wild, and probably extraordinarily difficult). You can hear the Classical nature of his early sonatas and the heroic nature of the Kreutzer Sonata - his longest and most epic. Any Tolstoy fans out there? Tolstoy wrote a story titled 'The Kreutzer Sonata' that centers on this very piece. And the French painter René François painted a work based on the story. Like I said - it always comes back to Beethoven, even for Russian authors and French painters. 

As you can hear from the very beginning this Sonata is beastly difficult! Nothing like a bunch of huge chords for solo violin to get the party started, am I right? A fantastic display of contrast and endurance - Definitely not for the faint of heart! But overwhelmingly for the music lover. The Kreutzer Sonata was composed in 1803 and was premiered by George Bridgewater and even though it was dedicated to the famous violinist Kreutzer, he never actually performed it.

Brahms wrote 3 sonatas for violin and piano and a scherzo movement for a collaborative sonata. Sonata No. 1 Op. 78 in G major is probably the most famous, and my personal favorite. This is another piece that I just love, love, love! Long, luscious melodies dominate the entire work. Written in 1878 it is cyclic, meaning materials are recycled throughout all three movements. Brahms borrows material from his own songs Regenlied and Nachtklang. This Sonata is also nicknamed 'The Rain' Sonata because Regen means Rain in German.

Another extremely important violin sonata is Franck's Sonata in A major written in 1886 as a wedding gift to the virtuoso Ysaÿe (more on him later). This is considered one of the finest violin sonatas ever written and is one of Franck's most popular compositions. It is completely cyclic ( sensing a trend in the late 19th century perhaps?). So charming, and so French n'est-ce pas? Another trend in the 19th century is the use of REALLY difficult piano parts. These days you have to think twice before programming one of these on a recital - to make sure there is a pianist around who can handle it!

Although sonatas for violin and piano dominated throughout the Classical and Romantic era, Ysaÿe wrote six solo sonatas that are real show stoppers. Each is dedicated to a different colleague, drawing on their quirks and style. These pieces are highly virtuosic and reminiscent of Bach's solo sonata writing. Violinists love them - in a time where much of the solo repertoire was fluffy and filled with superficial flash these pieces have a weight and seriousness to them that is very attractive. 

In fact, recognize anything here? hint hint the beginning? This is Sonata No. 2 Op. 27 and is dedicated to Jacques Thibaud, a very close friend and fellow Frenchman who apparently warmed up everyday with the Preludio to Partita No. 3 by Bach and it could be heard from his open window in Paris. This is perhaps the most popular of the 6 sonatas but there are all pretty darn cool.

Moving on to a couple other Frenchies with well loved sonatas still played and enjoyed today. Debussy wrote his violin sonata in G minor in 1917. It was his last major composition and the premier was his last public performance with Gaston Poulet on the violin. It is brief yet charming and full of the colors Debussy always conjured in his music.

Next is Ravel. His sonata No. 2 in G major was composed between 1923-1927 and really captures his love of Jazz and American music. This is like playing jazz for the classical musician - you have to portray the feel, and make some really cool effects but you don't have to do any improvisation. All the 'cool kats' think this piece is pretty neat - and it is. A very nice portrait of the versatility of the instrument. In the 20th century we start hearing, as with other genres, the violin used to promote specific aesthetics rather than simply the loveliness of the instrument (and Sonata form is virtually abandoned along the way). 

Prokofiev wrote 2 sonatas for violin and piano. The first in F minor was written between 1936-46 and is a huge task to take on for both performers - it is dark! Like graveyard dark, and gloomy and brooding, It is awesome. He also wrote a solo sonata which is not dark or brooding - in fact it is rather militant sounding. I once heard that this piece was often performed by a group of violinists in unison, and that is actually how I have performed it but otherwise I have never found this to be the case. Prokofiev also wrote a sonata for two violins written in 1932. I've only heard recordings but I really wish it was performed more often!

One more solo sonata worth mentioning (and admiring) is Bartok's sonata for solo violin. Premiered in 1944 by Yehudi Menuhin, it is outrageously difficult! Bartok at the time was very ill with Leukemia and this is one of his last compositions. Ever inspired by Bach, this piece recalls his solo sonatas and makes use of Baroque organizational and structural techniques like Fugues and Chaccone and a Presto movement to close. You know you're good if you can play this!

Well this turned out to be a little longer than I planned - oops! There is just some seriously cool stuff out there! I didn't even get to the Americans! Make sure to sink your teeth into some Ives (he wrote 4) and they are whacky, quirky, cool. Say hello to some hymns and pop tune quotes, a fair sprinkling of Americana, and some traditional sonata norms. The following is Sonata no. 4 titled "Children's day at Camp Meeting" and was composed around 1916.

And don't forget the Copland Sonata, premiered in 1944. There is just no denying that Copland sound!

Finally, here are a few thoughts to contemplate - clearly the solo violin sonata is pretty awesome (pretty and awesome), so why are there not more of them? Especially in the Classical era and early Romantic era? What about all those virtuoso composers and performers like Paganini and Sarasate? Paganini actually wrote sonatas for violin and guitar - he was conveniently a virtuoso guitarist as well - and they can be found here. But mostly the flashy virtuoso performer composers concerned themselves with show pieces, concertos and caprices - anything to remind audiences that they were hands down THE BEST violinists alive. The violin sonata as a genre tended to be more serious in nature and less about the fireworks (unless they served the music of course) and therefore attracted those of a more compositionally austere disposition. As with other musical genres in the 20th century the violin sonata abandoned some of the norms and traditions of the past. Today, sonatas are still written for violinists, but perhaps under a different title, with a different agenda in mind. The use of sonata form is not standard anymore and the violin and piano are often asked to employ non traditional techniques to create effects. Minimalists sound minimal, Neo-classicists sound Neoclassical. You get the idea. Hope you enjoyed this! Leave any comments or feedback below - I'd love to hear about your favorite Violin Sonatas!