Sonata (; Italian: , pl. ''sonate''; from Latin and Italian: ''sonare'' rchaic Italian; replaced in the modern language by ''suonare'' "to sound"), in

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

, literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''cantare'', "to sing"), a piece ''sung''. The term evolved through the

history of music Although definitions of music vary wildly throughout the world, every known culture partakes in it, and it is thus considered a cultural universal. The origins of music remain highly contentious; commentators often relate it to the origin of ...

, designating a variety of forms until the Classical era, when it took on increasing importance. Sonata is a vague term, with varying meanings depending on the context and time period. By the early 19th century, it came to represent a principle of composing large-scale works. It was applied to most instrumental genres and regarded—alongside the

fugue In music, a fugue () is a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the c ...

—as one of two fundamental methods of organizing, interpreting and analyzing concert music. Though the musical style of sonatas has changed since the Classical era, most 20th- and 21st-century sonatas still maintain the same structure. The term sonatina, pl. ''sonatine'', the

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...

form of sonata, is often used for a short or technically easy sonata.

Instrumentation

In the

Baroque period The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

, a sonata was for one or more instruments almost always with continuo. After the Baroque period most works designated as sonatas specifically are performed by a solo instrument, most often a keyboard instrument, or by a solo instrument accompanied by a keyboard instrument. Sonatas for a solo instrument other than keyboard have been composed, as have sonatas for other combinations of instruments.

History

Baroque

In the works of

Arcangelo Corelli Arcangelo Corelli (, also , , ; 17 February 1653 – 8 January 1713) was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. His music was key in the development of the modern genres of sonata and concerto, in establishing the preeminence of ...

and his contemporaries, two broad classes of sonata were established, and were first described by Sébastien de Brossard in his ''Dictionaire de musique'' (third edition, Amsterdam, ca. 1710): the

sonata da chiesa Sonata da chiesa (Italian: "church sonata") is a 17th-century genre of musical composition for one or more melody instruments and is regarded an antecedent of later forms of 18th century instrumental music. It generally comprises four movements, t ...

(that is, suitable for use in church), which was the type "rightly known as ''Sonatas''", and the

sonata da camera Sonata da camera is a 17th-century genre of musical composition for one or more melody instruments and basso continuo. It generally comprises a suite of several small pieces in the same mode or key that are suitable for dancing. A significant numb ...

(proper for use at court), which consists of a prelude followed by a succession of dances, all in the same key. Although the four, five, or six movements of the sonata da chiesa are also most often in one key, one or two of the internal movements are sometimes in a contrasting tonality. The sonata da chiesa, generally for one or more

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

s and bass, consisted normally of a slow introduction, a loosely fugued

allegro Allegro may refer to: Common meanings * Allegro (music), a tempo marking indicate to play fast, quickly and bright * Allegro (ballet), brisk and lively movement Artistic works * L'Allegro (1645), a poem by John Milton * ''Allegro'' (Satie), an ...

, a

cantabile In music, ''cantabile'' , an Italian word, means literally "singable" or "songlike". In instrumental music, it is a particular style of playing designed to imitate the human voice. For 18th-century composers, ''cantabile'' is often synonymous wit ...

slow movement, and a lively finale in some binary form suggesting affinity with the dance-tunes of the suite. This scheme, however, was not very clearly defined, until the works of Arcangelo Corelli when it became the essential sonata and persisted as a tradition of Italian violin music. The sonata da camera consisted almost entirely of idealized dance-tunes. On the other hand, the features of ''sonata da chiesa'' and ''sonata da camera'' then tended to be freely intermixed. Although nearly half of Bach's 1,100 surviving compositions, arrangements, and transcriptions are instrumental works, only about 4% are sonatas. The term ''sonata'' is also applied to the series of over 500 works for

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

solo, or sometimes for other keyboard instruments, by Domenico Scarlatti, originally published under the name ''Essercizi per il gravicembalo'' (Exercises for the Harpsichord). Most of these pieces are in one binary-form movement only, with two parts that are in the same tempo and use the same thematic material, though occasionally there will be changes in tempo within the sections. They are frequently virtuosic, and use more distant harmonic transitions and modulations than were common for other works of the time. They were admired for their great variety and invention. Both the solo and

trio sonata The trio sonata is a genre, typically consisting of several movements, with two melody instruments and basso continuo. Originating in the early 17th century, the trio sonata was a favorite chamber ensemble combination in the Baroque era. Basic s ...

s of

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widesprea ...

show parallels with the concerti he was writing at the same time. He composed over 70 sonatas, the great majority of which are of the solo type; most of the rest are trio sonatas, and a very small number are of the multivoice type. The sonatas of Domenico Paradies are mild and elongated works with a graceful and melodious little second movement included.

Classical period

The practice of the Classical period would become decisive for the sonata; the term moved from being one of many terms indicating genres or forms, to designating the fundamental form of organization for large-scale works. This evolution stretched over fifty years. The term came to apply both to the structure of individual movements (see

Sonata form Sonata form (also ''sonata-allegro form'' or ''first movement form'') is a musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of the 18th c ...

and

History of sonata form Sonata form is one of the most influential ideas in the history of Western classical music. Since the establishment of the practice by composers like C.P.E. Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert and the codification of this practice into ...

) and to the layout of the movements in a multi-movement work. In the transition to the Classical period there were several names given to multimovement works, including

divertimento ''Divertimento'' (; from the Italian '' divertire'' "to amuse") is a musical genre, with most of its examples from the 18th century. The mood of the '' divertimento'' is most often lighthearted (as a result of being played at social functions) and ...

, serenade, and

partita Partita (also ''partie'', ''partia'', ''parthia'', or ''parthie'') was originally the name for a single-instrumental piece of music (16th and 17th centuries), but Johann Kuhnau (Thomaskantor until 1722), his student Christoph Graupner, and Johann ...

, many of which are now regarded effectively as sonatas. The usage of ''sonata'' as the standard term for such works began somewhere in the 1770s.

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

labels his first piano sonata as such in 1771, after which the term ''divertimento'' is used sparingly in his output. The term ''sonata'' was increasingly applied to either a work for keyboard alone (see

piano sonata A piano sonata is a sonata written for a solo piano. Piano sonatas are usually written in three or four movements, although some piano sonatas have been written with a single movement ( Scarlatti, Liszt, Scriabin, Medtner, Berg), others with t ...

), or for keyboard and one other instrument, often the violin or cello. It was less and less frequently applied to works with more than two instrumentalists; for example, piano trios were not often labelled ''sonata for piano, violin, and cello.'' Initially the most common layout of movements was: # Allegro, which at the time was understood to mean not only a tempo, but also some degree of "working out", or development, of the theme. # A middle movement, most frequently a slow movement: an

Andante Andante may refer to: Arts * Andante (tempo), a moderately slow musical tempo * Andante (manga), ''Andante'' (manga), a shōjo manga by Miho Obana * Andante (song), "Andante" (song), a song by Hitomi Yaida * "Andante, Andante", a 1980 song by A ...

, an

Adagio Adagio (Italian for 'slowly', ) may refer to: Music * Adagio, a tempo marking, indicating that music is to be played slowly, or a composition intended to be played in this manner * Adagio (band), a French progressive metal band Albums * ''Adagi ...

or a Largo; or less frequently a

Minuet A minuet (; also spelled menuet) is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in time. The English word was adapted from the Italian ''minuetto'' and the French ''menuet''. The term also describes the musical form that accomp ...

or Theme and Variations form. # A closing movement was generally an Allegro or a Presto, often labeled ''Finale''. The form was often a

Rondo The rondo is an instrumental musical form introduced in the Classical period. Etymology The English word ''rondo'' comes from the Italian form of the French ''rondeau'', which means "a little round". Despite the common etymological root, rondo ...

or Minuet. However, two-movement layouts also occur, a practice Haydn uses as late as the 1790s. There was also in the early Classical period the possibility of using four movements, with a dance movement inserted before the slow movement, as in Haydn's Piano sonatas No. 6 and No. 8.

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

's sonatas were also primarily in three movements. Of the works that Haydn labelled ''piano sonata'', ''divertimento'', or ''partita'' in Hob XIV, seven are in two movements, thirty-five are in three, and three are in four; and there are several in three or four movements whose authenticity is listed as "doubtful." Composers such as

Boccherini Ridolfo Luigi Boccherini (, also , ; 19 February 1743 – 28 May 1805) was an Italian composer and cellist of the Classical era whose music retained a courtly and ''galante'' style even while he matured somewhat apart from the major European ...

would publish sonatas for piano and obbligato instrument with an optional third movement—–in Boccherini's case, 28 cello sonatas. But increasingly instrumental works were laid out in four, not three movements, a practice seen first in

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

s and symphonies, and reaching the sonata proper in the early sonatas of

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

. However, two- and three-movement sonatas continued to be written throughout the Classical period: Beethoven's opus 102 pair has a two-movement C major sonata and a three-movement D major sonata. Nevertheless, works with fewer or more than four movements were increasingly felt to be exceptions; they were labelled as having movements "omitted," or as having "extra" movements. Thus, the four-movement layout was by this point standard for the string quartet, and overwhelmingly the most common for the

symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

. The usual order of the four movements was: # An allegro, which by this point was in what is called

sonata form Sonata form (also ''sonata-allegro form'' or ''first movement form'') is a musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of the 18th c ...

, complete with exposition, development, and recapitulation. # A slow movement, an Andante, an Adagio or a Largo. # A dance movement, frequently

Minuet and trio A minuet (; also spelled menuet) is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in time. The English word was adapted from the Italian ''minuetto'' and the French ''menuet''. The term also describes the musical form that accompa ...

or—especially later in the classical period—a Scherzo and trio. # A finale in faster tempo, often in a sonata–rondo form. When movements appeared out of this order they would be described as "reversed", such as the scherzo coming before the slow movement in Beethoven's 9th Symphony. This usage would be noted by critics in the early 19th century, and it was codified into teaching soon thereafter. It is difficult to overstate the importance of Beethoven's output of sonatas: 32 piano sonatas, plus sonatas for cello and piano or violin and piano, forming a large body of music that would over time increasingly be thought essential for any serious instrumentalist to master.

Romantic period

In the early 19th century, the current usage of the term ''sonata'' was established, both as regards form ''per se'', and in the sense that a fully elaborated sonata serves as a norm for concert music in general, which other forms are seen in relation to. From this point forward, the word ''sonata'' in music theory labels as much the abstract musical form as particular works. Hence there are references to a symphony as a ''sonata for orchestra''. This is referred to by William Newman as the ''sonata idea''. Among works expressly labeled ''sonata'' for the piano, there are the three of

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

, those of

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sy ...

, the three of

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

's Sonata in B minor, and later the sonatas of

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

and

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

. In the early 19th century, the

was defined, from a combination of previous practice and the works of important Classical composers, particularly Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, but composers such as Clementi also. It is during this period that the differences between the three- and the four-movement layouts became a subject of commentary, with emphasis on the concerto being laid out in three movements, and the symphony in four.

Ernest Newman Ernest Newman (30 November 1868 – 7 July 1959) was an English music critic and musicologist. ''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' describes him as "the most celebrated British music critic in the first half of the 20th century." His ...

wrote in the essay "Brahms and the Serpent": :That, perhaps, will be the ideal of the instrumental music of the future; the way to it, indeed, seems at last to be opening out before modern composers in proportion as they discard the last tiresome vestiges of sonata form. This, from being what it was originally, the natural mode of expression of a certain eighteenth century way of thinking in music, became in the nineteenth century a drag upon both individual thinking and the free unfolding of the inner vital force of an idea, and is now simply a shop device by which a bad composer may persuade himself and the innocent reader of textbooks that he is a good one.

After the Romantic period

The role of the sonata as an extremely important form of extended musical argument would inspire composers such as

Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ' ...

Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

, Tailleferre, Ustvolskaya, and Williams to compose in sonata form, and works with traditional sonata structures continue to be composed and performed.

Scholarship and musicology

Sonata idea or principle

Research into the practice and meaning of sonata form, style, and structure has been the motivation for important theoretical works by

Heinrich Schenker Heinrich Schenker (19 June 1868 – 14 January 1935) was a Galician-born Austrian music theorist whose writings have had a profound influence on subsequent musical analysis. His approach, now termed Schenkerian analysis, was most fully ex ...

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

, and

Charles Rosen Charles Welles Rosen (May 5, 1927December 9, 2012) was an American pianist and writer on music. He is remembered for his career as a concert pianist, for his recordings, and for his many writings, notable among them the book ''The Classical Sty ...

among others; and the pedagogy of music continued to rest on an understanding and application of the rules of sonata form as almost two centuries of development in practice and theory had codified it. The development of the classical style and its norms of composition formed the basis for much of the music theory of the 19th and 20th centuries. As an overarching formal principle, sonata was accorded the same central status as Baroque

; generations of composers, instrumentalists, and audiences were guided by this understanding of sonata as an enduring and dominant principle in Western music. The sonata idea begins before the term had taken on its present importance, along with the evolution of the Classical period's changing norms. The reasons for these changes, and how they relate to the evolving sense of a new formal order in music, is a matter to which research is devoted. Some common factors which were pointed to include: the shift of focus from vocal music to instrumental music; changes in performance practice, including the loss of the continuo. Crucial to most interpretations of the sonata form is the idea of a tonal center; and, as the ''Grove Concise Dictionary of Music'' puts it: "The main form of the group embodying the 'sonata principle', the most important principle of musical structure from the Classical period to the 20th century: that material first stated in a complementary key be restated in the home key".( The sonata idea has been thoroughly explored by William Newman in his monumental three-volume work ''Sonata in the Classic Era (A History of the Sonata Idea)'', begun in the 1950s and published in what has become the standard edition of all three volumes in 1972.

20th-century theory

Heinrich Schenker argued that there was an ''Urlinie'' or basic tonal melody, and a basic bass figuration. He held that when these two were present, there was basic structure, and that the sonata represented this basic structure in a whole work with a process known as ''interruption''. As a practical matter, Schenker applied his ideas to the editing of the piano sonatas of Beethoven, using original manuscripts and his own theories to "correct" the available sources. The basic procedure was the use of tonal theory to infer meaning from available sources as part of the critical process, even to the extent of completing works left unfinished by their composers. While many of these changes were and are controversial, that procedure has a central role today in music theory, and is an essential part of the theory of sonata structure as taught in most music schools.

Notable sonatas

Baroque (c. 1600 – c. 1760)

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

** Sonatas for solo violin (BWV 1001, 1003 and 1005) **Sonatas for flute and continuo (

BWV 1034 Sonata in E minor for flute and basso continuo by J. S. Bach (BWV 1034) is a sonata in four movements: * ''Adagio ma non tanto'' * ''Allegro'' * ''Andante'' * ''Allegro'' The basso continuo can be provided by a variety of instruments. For exampl ...

, 1035) **

Trio sonatas The trio sonata is a genre, typically consisting of several movements, with two melody instruments and basso continuo. Originating in the early 17th century, the trio sonata was a favorite chamber ensemble combination in the Baroque era. Basic s ...

: for organ (BWV 525–530); for violin and harpsichord (BWV 1014–1019); for viola da gamba and harpsichord (BWV 1027–1029); for flute and harpsichord (

BWV 1030 The Sonata in B minor for transverse flute and obbligato harpsichord by Johann Sebastian Bach (BWV 1030) is a sonata in 3 movements: * '' Andante'' * ''Largo e dolce'' * ''Presto'' The existing autograph manuscript dates from after 1735, when B ...

, 1032); for flute, violin and continuo (''Sonata sopr'il Soggetto Reale'' included in ''

The Musical Offering ''The Musical Offering'' (German: or ), Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, BWV 1079, is a collection of keyboard canon (music), canons and fugues and other pieces of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, all based on a single musical Subject (music), theme given ...

'') *

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber ( bapt. 12 August 1644, Stráž pod Ralskem – 3 May 1704, Salzburg) was a Bohemian-Austrian composer and violinist. Biber worked in Graz and Kroměříž before he illegally left his employer, Prince-Bishop Karl L ...

Rosary Sonatas The ''Rosary Sonatas'' (''Rosenkranzsonaten'', also known as the ''Mystery Sonatas'' or ''Copper-Engraving Sonatas'') by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber are a collection of 15 short sonatas for violin and continuo, with a final passacaglia for solo vi ...

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

** Sonata for Violin and Continuo in D major (HWV 371) *

Giuseppe Tartini Giuseppe Tartini (8 April 1692 – 26 February 1770) was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era born in the Republic of Venice. Tartini was a prolific composer, composing over a hundred of pieces for the violin with the majority of ...

Devil's Trill Sonata The Violin Sonata in G minor, B.g5, more familiarly known as the ''Devil's Trill Sonata'' ( Italian: ''Il trillo del diavolo''), is a work for solo violin (with figured bass accompaniment) by Giuseppe Tartini (1692–1770). It is the composer's bes ...

* Domenico Scarlatti **

List of solo keyboard sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti Italian composer Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757) wrote 555 solo keyboard sonatas throughout his career. Circulated irregularly in his lifetime, these are now recognized as a significant contribution which pushed the musical and technical standa ...

Classical (c. 1760 – c. 1830)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

** Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor (K. 310) ** Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major (K. 331/300i) ** Piano Sonata No. 12 in F major (K. 332) ** Piano Sonata No. 13 in B-flat major (K. 333) ** Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor (K. 457) ** Piano Sonata No. 15 in F major (K. 533/494) ** Piano Sonata No. 16 in C major (K. 545) ** Sonata in A for Violin and Keyboard (K. 526) *

Franz Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

**Sonata No. 1 in C major, Hob. XVI:1 – Piano Sonata No. 62, Hob.XVI:52 *

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

** Sonata in C minor, D. 958 ** Sonata in A major, D. 959 ** Sonata in B major, D. 960

Romantic (c. 1795 – c. 1900)

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

** Piano Sonata No. 8 "Pathétique" ** Piano Sonata No. 14 "Moonlight" (''Sonata quasi una fantasia'') ** Piano Sonata No. 17 "Tempest" ** Piano Sonata No. 19 "Leichte" ** Piano Sonata No. 21 "Waldstein" ** Piano Sonata No. 23 "Appassionata" ** Piano Sonata No. 29 "Hammerklavier" ** Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111 ** Violin Sonata No. 5 "Spring" ** Violin Sonata No. 9 "Kreutzer" ** Cello Sonata No. 1 in F major Op. 5 ** Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor Op. 5 ** Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major Op. 69 *

** Cello Sonata No. 1 ** Cello Sonata No. 2 ** Clarinet Sonatas No. 1 and No.2 ** Violin Sonata No. 1 ** Violin Sonata No. 2 ** Violin Sonata No. 3 *

, Albert Dietrich, and

** 'F-A-E' Sonata *

** Piano Sonata No. 2 in B minor ** Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor *

Paul Dukas Paul Abraham Dukas ( or ; 1 October 1865 – 17 May 1935) was a French composer, critic, scholar and teacher. A studious man of retiring personality, he was intensely self-critical, having abandoned and destroyed many of his compositions. His b ...

** Piano Sonata in E-flat minor (1900) *

George Enescu George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanian composer, violinist, conductor and teacher. Regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history, Enescu is featured on the Romanian five lei. Biogr ...

**Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano in D major, Op. 2 (1897) ** Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano in F minor, Op. 6 (1899) *

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

** Three sonatas for Violin and Piano *

** Sonata after a Reading of Dante (''Fantasia Quasi Sonata'') ** Sonata in B minor *

** Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105

20th-century and contemporary (c. 1910–present)

Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century. The music critic Donal Henahan said, "Proba ...

Cello Sonata A cello sonata is usually a sonata written for solo cello with piano accompaniment. The most famous Romantic-era cello sonatas are those written by Johannes Brahms and Ludwig van Beethoven. Some of the earliest cello sonatas were written in the 1 ...

Op. 6 **

Piano Sonata A piano sonata is a sonata written for a solo piano. Piano sonatas are usually written in three or four movements, although some piano sonatas have been written with a single movement ( Scarlatti, Liszt, Scriabin, Medtner, Berg), others with t ...

Op. 26 (1949) *Jean Barraqué **Piano Sonata (Barraqué), Piano Sonata (1950–52) *Béla Bartók **Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion **Piano Sonata (Bartók), Sonata for Piano (1926) **Sonata for Solo Violin (Bartók), Sonata for Solo Violin **Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano **Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano *Alban Berg **Piano Sonata (Berg), Sonata for Piano, Op. 1 *Leonard Bernstein **Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (Bernstein), Sonata for Clarinet and Piano *Pierre Boulez **Piano sonatas (Boulez), Piano Sonata No. 1 **Piano sonatas (Boulez), Piano Sonata No. 2 **Piano sonatas (Boulez), Piano Sonata No. 3 *Benjamin Britten **Cello Sonata (Britten), Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 65 *John Cage **Sonata for Clarinet (Cage), Sonata for Unaccompanied Clarinet **Sonatas and Interludes, Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano (1946–48) *Claude Debussy **Cello Sonata (Debussy), Sonata No. 1, for cello and piano (1915) **Sonata for flute, viola and harp (Debussy), Sonata No. 2, for flute, viola and harp (1915) **Violin Sonata (Debussy), Sonata No. 3, for violin and piano (1916–1917) *

**Violin Sonata No. 3 (Enescu), Sonata No. 3 for violin and piano, in A minor, ''dans le caractère populaire roumain'' Op. 25 (1926) **Cello Sonata No. 2 (Enescu), Sonata No. 2 for cello and piano in C major, Op. 26, No. 2 (1935) **Piano Sonata No. 1 (Enescu), Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 24, No. 1 (1924) **Piano Sonata No. 3 (Enescu), Piano Sonata No. 3 in D major, Op. 24, No. 3 (1933–1935) *Karel Goeyvaerts **Sonata for Two Pianos (Goeyvaerts), Sonata for Two Pianos, Op. 1 *Hans Werner Henze **''Royal Winter Music'', Guitar Sonatas No. 1 and 2 *Paul Hindemith **Viola Sonata, Op. 11 No. 4 (Hindemith), Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 11, No. 4 (1919) *Charles Ives **Piano Sonata No. 2 (Ives), Piano Sonata No. 2, Concord, Mass., 1840–60 *Leoš Janáček **1. X. 1905 (Janáček's Sonata for Piano) *Ben Johnston (composer), Ben Johnston **Sonata for Microtonal Piano *György Ligeti **Solo Cello Sonata (Ligeti), Sonata, for solo cello (1948/1953) *Nikolai Medtner **Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 5 (1901-3) **Piano Sonata No. 2 in A, Op. 11 (1904-7) **Piano Sonata No. 3 in D minor, ''Sonate-Elegie'', Op. 11 (1904-7) **Piano Sonata No. 4 in C, Op. 11 (1904-7) **Piano Sonata No. 5 in G minor, Op. 22 (1909-10) **Piano Sonata No. 6 in C minor, ''Sonata-Skazka'', Op. 22 (1910-11) **Piano Sonata No. 7 in E minor, ''Night Wind'', Op. 22 (1910-11) **Piano Sonata No. 8 in F, ''Sonata-Ballade'', Op. 27 (1912-14) **Piano Sonata No. 9 in A minor, ''War Sonata'' , Op. 30 (1914-17) **Piano Sonata No. 10 in A minor, ''Sonata-reminiscenza'', Op. 38 No. 1 (1920) **Piano Sonata No. 11 in C minor, ''Sonata Tragica'', Op. 39, No. 5 (1920) **Piano Sonata No. 12 in B minor, ''Romantica'', Op. 53 No. 1 (1930) **Piano Sonata No. 13 in F minor, ''Minacciosa'', Op. 53, No. 2 (1930) **Piano Sonata No. 14 in G, ''Sonata-Idyll'', Op. 56 (1937) *Darius Milhaud **Sonata for flute, oboe, clarinet and piano (Milhaud), Sonata for flute, oboe, clarinet, and piano, Op. 47 (1918) *Sergei Prokofiev **Prokofiev works#Piano sonatas, Piano Sonatas—six juvenile (1904, 1907, 1907, 1907–08, 1908, 1908–09) **Piano Sonata No. 1 (Prokofiev), Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 1 (1907–09) **Piano Sonata No. 2 (Prokofiev), Piano Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Op. 14 (1912) **Piano Sonata No. 3 (Prokofiev), Piano Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 28 (1907–17) **Piano Sonata No. 4 (Prokofiev), Piano Sonata No. 4 in C minor, Op. 29 (1917) **Piano Sonata No. 5 (Prokofiev), Piano Sonata No. 5 in C major (original version), Op. 38 (1923) **Violin Sonata No. 1 (Prokofiev), Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 80 (1938–46) **Piano Sonata No. 6 (Prokofiev), Piano Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 82 (1939–40) **Piano Sonata No. 7 (Prokofiev), Piano Sonata No. 7 in B-flat major, ''Stalingrad'', Op. 83 (1939–42) **Piano Sonata No. 8 (Prokofiev), Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat major, Op. 84 (1939–44) **Flute Sonata (Prokofiev), Flute Sonata in D major, Op. 94 (1943) **Violin Sonata No. 2 (Prokofiev), Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94 bis (1943) **Piano Sonata No. 9 (Prokofiev), Piano Sonata No. 9 in C major, Op. 103 (1947) **Prokofiev works#Instrumental, Sonata for Solo Violin (Unison Violins) in D major, Op. 115 **Prokofiev works#Instrumental, Cello Sonata in C major, Op. 119 **Prokofiev works#Instrumental, Sonata for Solo Cello in C-sharp minor, Op. 133 **Piano Sonata No. 5 (Prokofiev), Piano Sonata No. 5 in C major (revised version), Op. 135 (1952–53) *

** Piano Sonata No. 2 (Rachmaninoff), Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 36 (1913, revised in 1931) **Cello Sonata (Rachmaninoff), Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor, Op. 19 (1901) * Alexander Scriabin **Sonata No. 2 (Scriabin), Piano Sonata No. 2 (Sonata-Fantasy) **Sonata No. 3 (Scriabin), Piano Sonata No. 3 **Sonata No. 4 (Scriabin), Piano Sonata No. 4 **Sonata No. 5 (Scriabin), Piano Sonata No. 5 **Sonata No. 6 (Scriabin), Piano Sonata No. 6 **Sonata No. 7 (Scriabin), Piano Sonata No. 7 "White Mass" **Sonata No. 8 (Scriabin), Piano Sonata No. 8 **Sonata No. 9 (Scriabin), Piano Sonata No. 9 "Black Mass" **Sonata No. 10 (Scriabin), Piano Sonata No. 10 *Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji **Piano Sonata No. 0 **Piano Sonata No. 1 **Piano Sonata No. 2 **Piano Sonata No. 3 **Piano Sonata No. 4 **Piano Sonata No. 5 "Opus Archimagicum" *Igor Stravinsky **Sonata for Two Pianos (Stravinsky), Sonata for Two Pianos (1943) *Eugène Ysaÿe **Six Sonatas for solo violin (Ysaÿe), Six Sonatas for solo violin (1923)

References

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