The Violin Sonata in

E-flat major E-flat major (or the key of E-flat) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has three flats. Its relative minor is C minor, and its parallel minor is E minor, (or enharmonically ...

, Op. 18 was written by Richard Strauss between 1887 and 1888. Although not considered a milestone in

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 regu ...

literature, it is frequently performed and recorded. It is noted for its lyrical beauty and its technical demands made on both violinist and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

History

Following the completion of his

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 ...

and

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 ...

, Strauss began working on his Violin Sonata in 1887, and finished it in 1888. It was during this time that Strauss fell in love with

Pauline de Ahna Pauline Maria de Ahna (also known as Pauline Strauss (4 February 1863 – 13 May 1950) was a German operatic soprano and the wife of composer Richard Strauss. Her singing career was closely tied to her husband's career as a conductor and composer. ...

, the soprano whom he would later wed, and his amorous feelings can be heard throughout the piece.

Structure

Like all of his chamber music, Strauss' sonata follows standard classical form, though it is considered the last of his works to do so. The piece is in three movements, and takes approximately thirty minutes to perform: #'' Allegro, ma non troppo'' #'' Improvisation: Andante cantabile'' #'' Finale: Andante - Allegro'' The first movement opens with a brief piano solo, followed by lyrical violin interludes, through which the thematic material is presented. This movement follows typical

sonata-allegro 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 ...

form, and although it begins in a melancholy tone, the movement ends jubilantly. The second movement is unique in that it is an ''Improvisation''; that is, the tranquil violin passages give the impression of improvisational material. This movement maintains a beautiful singing tone throughout, and ends meditatively. It is in

ternary form Ternary form, sometimes called song form, is a three-part musical form consisting of an opening section (A), a following section (B) and then a repetition of the first section (A). It is usually schematized as A–B–A. Prominent examples inclu ...

. The third and final movement begins with a slow, methodical piano introduction which then leads into an exuberant ''Allegro''. After a rush of virtuosic passages from both performers, the sonata comes to an explosive end.

Notable recordings

The earliest recording of the sonata was by Jascha Heifetz with pianist Arpad Sandor for RCA in 1934 (he went on to record it two other times, in 1954 and 1972 in his "final recital" with pianist Brooks Smith).Review of Heifetz recordings
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Jascha Heifetz Jascha Heifetz (; December 10, 1987) was a Russian-born American violinist. Born in Vilnius, he moved while still a teenager to the United States, where his Carnegie Hall debut was rapturously received. He was a virtuoso since childhood. Fritz ...

and Brooks Smith, released by RCA Victor. * Ginette Neveu and Gustav Beck, released by EMI Records. *

Gidon Kremer Gidon Kremer ( lv, Gidons Krēmers; born 27 February 1947) is a Latvian classical violinist, artistic director, and founder of Kremerata Baltica. Life and career Gidon Kremer was born in Riga. His father was Jewish and had survived the Holo ...

and Oleg Maisenberg, released by

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

. *

Anne Akiko Meyers Anne Akiko Meyers (born May 15, 1970) is an American concert violinist. Meyers was the top-selling classical instrumentalist of 2014 on Billboard's traditional classical charts. Early life and education The daughter of an artist and a colleg ...

and Rohan de Silva, released by

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. * Sarah Chang and

Wolfgang Sawallisch Wolfgang Sawallisch (26 August 1923 – 22 February 2013) was a German conductor and pianist. Biography Wolfgang Sawallisch was born in Munich, the son of Maria and Wilhelm Sawallisch. His father was director of the Hamburg-Bremer-Feuerversich ...

, released by EMI Records. *

Vadim Repin Vadim Viktorovich Repin (russian: Вадим Викторович Репин, ; born 31 August 1971) is a Russian and Belgian violinist who lives in Vienna.

and

Nikolai Lugansky Nikolai Lvovich Lugansky (russian: Никола́й Льво́вич Луга́нский; born 26 April 1972) is a Russian pianist. Early life and education Nikolai Lugansky was born on 26 April 1972 in Moscow, Russia, to research scientist p ...

, released by

Erato Records Erato Records is a record label founded in 1953 as Disques Erato by Philippe Loury to promote French classical music. Loury was head of éditions musicales Costallat. His first releases in France were licensed from the Haydn Society of Boston, a ...

. *

Kyung-Wha Chung Kyung Wha Chung (born 26 March 1948) is a South Korean violinist. Early years and education Kyung Wha Chung was born in Seoul as the middle of the seven children in her family. Her father was an exporter, and her mother ran a restaurant. She b ...

and

Krystian Zimerman Krystian Zimerman (born 5 December 1956) is a Polish-Swiss concert pianist, conductor and pedagogue who has been described as one of the greatest pianists of his generation. In 1975, he won the IX International Chopin Piano Competition. Follo ...

, released by

. * Itzhak Perlman and

Emanuel Ax Emanuel "Manny" Ax (born 8 June 1949) is a Grammy-winning American classical pianist. He is a teacher in the Juilliard School. Early life Ax was born to a Polish-Jewish family in Lviv, Ukraine, (in what was then the Soviet Union) to Joachim and ...

, released by Deutsché Grammophon.

References

External links

*
Performance of Violin Sonata
by Korbinian Altenberger (violin) and Hsin-Bei Lee (piano), from the

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts, which houses significant examples of European, Asian, and American art. Its collection includes paintings, sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts. It was found ...

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format {{Authority control Chamber music by Richard Strauss

Strauss Strauss, Strauß or Straus is a common Germanic surname. Outside Germany and Austria ''Strauß'' is always spelled ''Strauss'' (the letter " ß" is not used in the German-speaking part of Switzerland). In classical music, "Strauss" usually re ...

1888 compositions Compositions in E-flat major

History

Structure

Notable recordings

See also

References

External links