''Sonatina'' is a work for piano solo in three
movement
Movement may refer to:
Common uses
* Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece
* Motion, commonly referred to as movement
Arts, entertainment, and media
Literature
* "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...
s composed in 192627 by
John Ireland (18791962). He dedicated it to his friend, the conductor and
BBC music producer,
Edward Clark.
A performance takes about 10½ minutes. The movements are marked:
# ''Moderato''
# ''Quasi lento''
# ''Rondo. Ritmico, non troppo allegro''
The term
sonatina
A sonatina is a small sonata. As a musical term, sonatina has no single strict definition; it is rather a title applied by the composer to a piece that is in basic sonata form, but is shorter and lighter in character, or technically more elementar ...
has no single strict definition, but is rather a title applied by the composer to a piece in basic
sonata form which is shorter and lighter in character, or technically more elementary, than a typical
sonata
Sonata (; Italian: , pl. ''sonate''; from Latin and Italian: ''sonare'' rchaic Italian; replaced in the modern language by ''suonare'' "to sound"), in music, literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''cant ...
.
The dates given at the end of the score ('Begun, June 1926: finished, October 1927') suggest that the work cost Ireland some considerable effort despite its brevity. The writing is extremely dense, even by Ireland's standards, and experimental in both its harmonic language and form.
John Longmire relates that the 'CAD' motive in the second theme of the first movement refers to the composer Arnold Bax. Ireland had a strong affection for Faery, the younger daughter of the Hutchesons of the White House, Great Sampford. Arnold Bax 'appeared on the scene and stole her affection from him'. Ireland's revenge was this theme. Despite his offence at Bax's behaviour, the two composers remained friends.
The ''Rondo'' was used as a test piece in the 1928 ''
Daily Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
'' Piano Competition, which was won by
Cyril Smith. It had been recorded by
William Murdoch as a guide to competitors. Lewis Foreman has written, "that Ireland even then recognised the piano not only for its romantic and singing qualities, but also - almost
Bartók like - as a percussion instrument".
The last movement was based on Sylvia Townsend Warner's novel, ''Lolly Willowes'' (1926). It recounts the tale of a spinster who renounces her city life with relatives in London to move to the village of Great Mop, where she forges a pact with the devil and becomes a witch. She is invited to a witches' sabbath where 'they whirled faster and faster, fused together like two suns that whirl and blaze in a single destruction'. In a letter to Jocelyn Brooke, Ireland wrote that 'Sylvia Townsend Warner has something in "Lolly Willowes"... But she tinges nearly all with an underlying irony which is sometimes stimulating but often destructive'.
[Richards, ''op. cit.'']
See also
*
Glossary of musical terminology
A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...
for explanations of the movement markings.
References
Solo piano pieces by John Ireland
1927 compositions
Ireland
Music with dedications
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