Bohuslav Martinů Bohuslav Jan Martinů (; December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959) was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He wrote 6 symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. He bec ...

's Sonata for Flute and Piano, H. 306, was composed in 1945 in South Orleans,

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

, during the composer's five years in the USA following his escape from

occupied France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

. The work was composed for George Laurent who was the principal flute of the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

from 1918 to 1952. It was premiered on 18 December 1949 in New York, with Lois Scheafer as soloist. Although Martinu originally entitled the work as his 'First Sonata for Flute and Piano', no Second Sonata ever appeared.

Movements

The sonata is composed in three movements: * I. Allegro moderato * II. Adagio * III. Allegro poco moderato

Description

The outer movements are notably rhythmic, with the intervening adagio movement more melancholy and lyrical in nature. The inspiration for the theme of the third movement draws from Martinů's experience nursing an injured

whippoorwill The eastern whip-poor-will (''Antrostomus vociferus'') is a medium-sized (22–27 cm; 8.7-10.6 ins.) bird within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae, from North America. The whip-poor-will is commonly heard within its range, but less o ...

back to health in Cape Cod. The bird's song is recalled in the music.

References

;Notes ;Sources * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Flute Sonata (Martinu) Martinu Compositions by Bohuslav Martinů 1945 compositions