Six string sonatas were written by Italian composer

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

in 1804 but were not published until 1826. The sonatas are among Rossini's earliest recognized works, as he composed them while only 12 years old. They were inspired by the early works of

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 ...

and

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 ...

both composers Rossini studied a lot during this time.

History

Rossini composed his six string sonatas while staying in

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the cap ...

during the summer of 1804. He was 12 years old at the time and was living in the home of the amateur

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

enthusiast Agostini Triossi. Triossi's influence was likely the reason why the double bass is featured prominently in the sonatas. According to Rossini himself, the sonatas were: With the exception of a single song, the six string sonatas are considered Rossini's earliest compositions. Though the music presents weaknesses and deficiencies, the sonatas are still considered remarkable works for a composer of such young age and inexperience. In 1826, five of the six string sonatas (excluding Sonata No. 3) were first published by

Casa Ricordi Casa Ricordi is a publisher of primarily classical music and opera. Its classical repertoire represents one of the important sources in the world through its publishing of the work of the major 19th-century Italian composers such as Gioachino Ro ...

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

as standard

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. A further transposition for

wind instruments A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pitc ...

is dated 1828/1829. However, the whereabouts of the sonatas eventually became a mystery, and scholars assumed that were destroyed. In 1942, the sonatas published by Ricordi were rediscovered, and in 1954, Rossini's original score was found in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Sonatas

Rossini's six string sonatas are scored for four string instruments: two

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, a

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

, and a

. Thus, the sonatas are sometimes referred to as ''sonate a quattro'' ("sonatas for four"). Each sonata is in three movements, with performances ranging from 11 to 16 minutes long. The sonatas are in major keys, and their movements all follow a typical "fast–slow–fast" tempo pattern. For three of the sonatas, however, the second ''Andante'' movement is in a minor key. The sonatas exhibit multiple departures from musical expectations: the material is not formally developed in ways characteristic of other classical works, and the typical role of the cello is magnified with the introduction of a double bass.

String Sonata No. 1

The first sonata is in

G Major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable compositi ...

String Sonata No. 2

The second sonata is in

A Major A major (or the key of A) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The key of A major is the only k ...

String Sonata No. 3

The third sonata is in

C Major C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and ...

String Sonata No. 4

The fourth sonata is in

B-flat Major B-flat major is a major scale based on B, with pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative minor is G minor and its parallel minor is B-flat minor. The B-flat major scale is: : Many transposing instr ...

String Sonata No. 5

The fifth sonata is 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 ...

String Sonata No. 6

The sixth sonata is in

D Major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Ch ...

References

External links

* Compositions by Gioachino Rossini 1804 compositions {{sonata-stub