A Survey of Classical, French, and Wartime Violin Sonatas

Abstract

Three violin recitals were presented in lieu of a written dissertation.

Beginning with Janáček’s Violin Sonata, which was composed during the outbreak of World War I, the first recital featured wartime compositions. Copland’s Violin Sonata and Prokofiev Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, composed during the Second World War, were also performed to reveal the different ways in which composers were affected. Monday, February 11th, 2019, 7:30 pm, Britton Recital Hall, University of Michigan. Leoš Janáček Sonata for Violin and Piano; Aaron Copland Sonata for Violin and Piano; Sergei Prokofiev Violin Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, op. 80.

The second dissertation recital showcased three French violin sonatas by Francis Poulenc, Claude Debussy, and César Franck. Performing violin sonatas by these three particular composers presented the extent to which compositional outputs varied, despite having been composed by composers of the same nationality.

Monday, March 11th, 2019, 7:30 pm, Britton Recital Hall, University of Michigan. Francis Poulenc Sonata for Violin and Piano, FP 119; Claude Debussy Sonata for Violin and Piano in G Minor; César Franck Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major.

The final dissertation recital focused on the development and growth of violin sonatas during the Classical and Romantic periods. Sonatas by Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms were performed to highlight the changes, as well as similarities, in violin sonatas from 1784 to a century later in 1886. Friday, April 19th, 2019, 5:30 pm, Stamps Auditorium, University of Michigan. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sonata for Piano and Violin in B-Flat Major, K. 454; Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata for Piano and Violin in C Minor, Op. 30, No. 2; Johannes Brahms Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100.