Scriabin Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin (; russian: Александр Николаевич Скрябин ; – ) was a Russian composer and virtuoso pianist. Before 1903, Scriabin was greatly influenced by the music of Frédéric Chopin and compos ...

's Piano Sonata No. 2 in G-sharp minor, ( Op. 19, also titled ''Sonata-Fantasy'') took five years for him to write. It was finally published in 1898, at the urging of his publisher. The piece is in two movements, with a style combining Chopin-like

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

with an

impressionistic Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passag ...

touch. The piece is widely appreciated and is one of Scriabin's most popular pieces. The first movement ''Andante'', in sonata form, begins with echoing effects, followed by two lyrically themed sections. The first theme is in G-Sharp minor, but the following two come in B major (the relative major). After a short climax in the development, the piece modulates to E major (also

C-sharp minor C-sharp minor is a minor scale based on C, with the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of four sharps. The C-sharp natural minor scale is: : Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale ar ...

) for the recapitulation and lyrical sections are restated with a slightly more complicated accompaniment. The second movement ''Presto'', in sharp contrast to the first movement, is very fast and intense. Alternating

crescendo In music, the dynamics of a piece is the variation in loudness between notes or phrases. Dynamics are indicated by specific musical notation, often in some detail. However, dynamics markings still require interpretation by the performer dependin ...

s and

decrescendo In music, the dynamics of a piece is the variation in loudness between notes or phrases. Dynamics are indicated by specific musical notation, often in some detail. However, dynamics markings still require interpretation by the performer depen ...

s may give the listener the impression of waves. The precedent of Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata allowed Scriabin the luxury of an opening slow movement to his Second Sonata, whose programme reads thus: "The first section represents the quiet of a southern night on the seashore; the development is the dark agitation of the deep, deep sea. The E major middle section shows caressing moonlight coming up after the first darkness of night. The second movement represents the vast expanse of ocean in stormy agitation." Typical of Scriabin's piano sonatas, it is technically and musically demanding for the pianist. A typical performance lasts about 11 minutes.

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Recordings

Scriabin's Piano Sonata No. 2 in G-sharp minor, Op. 19 played by Maria Perrotta
Piano Sonata 02 1897 compositions Compositions in G-sharp minor {{sonata-stub