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Violin Sonata (Franck)

July 19, 2023

The Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano by César Franck is one of his best-known compositions, and is considered one of the finest sonatas for violin and piano ever written.[1] It is an amalgam of his rich native harmonic language with the Classical traditions he valued highly, held together in a cyclic framework.

Background

The Violin Sonata in A was written in 1886, when César Franck was 63, as a wedding present for the 28-year-old violinist Eugène Ysaÿe.[1] Twenty-eight years earlier, in 1858, Franck had promised a violin sonata for Cosima von Bülow. This never appeared; it has been speculated that whatever work Franck had done on that piece was put aside, and eventually ended up in the sonata he wrote for Ysaÿe in 1886.[2]

Franck was not present when Ysaÿe married, but on the morning of the wedding, on 26 September 1886 in Arlon, their mutual friend Charles Bordes presented the work as Franck's gift to Ysaÿe and his bride Louise Bourdeau de Courtrai. After a hurried rehearsal, Ysaÿe and Bordes' sister-in-law, the pianist Marie-Léontine Bordes-Pène,[3] played the Sonata to the other wedding guests.[4]

The Sonata was given its first public concert performance on 16 December of that year,[2] at the Musée Moderne de Peinture (Museum of Modern Painting) in Brussels.[5] Ysaÿe and Bordes-Pène were again the performers.[2][6] The Sonata was the final item in a long program which started at 3pm. When the time arrived for the Sonata, dusk had fallen and the gallery was bathed in gloom, but the museum authorities permitted no artificial light whatsoever. Initially, it seemed the Sonata would have to be abandoned, but Ysaÿe and Bordes-Pène decided to continue regardless. They had to play the last three movements from memory in virtual darkness. When the violinist Armand Parent remarked that Ysaÿe had played the first movement faster than the composer intended, Franck replied that Ysaÿe had made the right decision, saying "from now on there will be no other way to play it". Vincent d'Indy, who was present, recorded these details of the event.[7][8]

Ysaÿe kept the Violin Sonata in his repertoire for the next 40 years of his life, with a variety of pianists, like Théo Ysaÿe, Ernest Chausson, Ferruccio Busoni, Vincent d'Indy, Raoul Pugno, Camille Decreus, Arthur De Greef, Leopold Godowsky, Yves Nat, and many others. His championing of the Sonata contributed to the public recognition of Franck as a major composer.[9] This recognition was quite belated; Franck died within four years of the Sonata's public première, and did not have his first unqualified public success until the last year of his life (on 19 April 1890, at the Salle Pleyel, where his String Quartet in D was premiered).[10]

The Sonata in A regularly appears on concert programs and on recordings, and is in the core repertoire of all major violinists. Jascha Heifetz played it at his final recital in 1972.

The piece is further notable for the difficulty of its piano part, when compared with most of the chamber repertoire. Its technical problems include frequent extreme extended figures—the composer himself having possessed huge hands—and virtuoso runs and leaps, particularly in the second movement (though some passages can be facilitated by employing a spare hand to cover some notes).

Structure

 
I. Allegretto ben moderato
II. Allegro
III. Recitativo-Fantasia: Ben moderato
IV. Allegretto poco mosso
Performed by Tibor Szomora and Minami Matsunaga
Problems playing these files? See media help.

The work is cyclic in nature, all the movements sharing common thematic threads. Themes from one movement reappear in subsequent movements, but usually transformed. Franck had adapted this technique from Franz Liszt—his friend, and Cosima von Bülow's father.[7] Vincent d'Indy described the Sonata as "the first and purest model of the cyclical use of themes in sonata form", and referred to it as "this true musical monument".[2]

The movements alternate between slow and fast.[6]

  1. Allegretto ben moderato, 9
    8
    This gentle and sweetly reflective rocking theme, introduced by the violin after a short introduction by the piano, is the thematic core of the entire work. Franck originally intended it as a slow movement, but Ysaÿe preferred a slightly quicker tempo, and convinced Franck to mark it Allegretto.[9]
  2. Allegro
    This turbulent movement is sometimes considered the real opening movement, with the Allegretto ben moderato serving as a long introduction.
  3. Ben moderato: Recitativo-Fantasia
    This is improvisatory in nature, and free in both structure and expression.
  4. Allegretto poco mosso
    The main melody is heard in canonic imitation between the instruments, and recurs in a rondo-like manner to a triumphant and soaring conclusion. James Harding described the movement as "a magnificent example of canonic writing, simple, majestic and irresistible in its ample, beautifully wrought proportions".[2]

Transcriptions

See also: Cello Sonata (Franck/Delsart)
 
Arrangement for flute and piano
I. Allegretto moderato
II. Allegro
III. Ben moderato: Recitativo-Fantasia
IV. Allegretto poco mosso
Performed by Albert Tipton (flute) and Mary Norris (piano)
Problems playing these files? See media help.

Jean-Pierre Rampal made a transcription for flute and piano that is still performed frequently.[11] The Violin Sonata in A also exists in versions for cello; viola; double bass; oboe; clarinet; alto saxophone; tuba; organ with choir; violin and strings; and violin and orchestra (recorded by Leonid Kogan). A version for piano duet by the pianist and composer Alfred Cortot has been recorded several times. Cortot also made a (for pianists even more challenging) version for solo piano, which has been played occasionally.

The setting for cello and piano was the only alternative version sanctioned by Franck.[12] This was created by the renowned cellist Jules Delsart. After thorough historical study based on reliable documents, Delsart's transcription for cello (the piano part remains the same as in the violin sonata) was published by G. Henle Verlag as an Urtext edition.[13] Based on oral history (Pablo Casals)[14] and written document (letter written by Antoine Ysaye, Eugène Ysaÿe's son),[14] it has often been speculated that the work was first conceived as a sonata for cello and piano, and only later reset for violin and piano when the commission from Eugène Ysaÿe arrived.[4]

Recordings

The Violin Sonata in A by César Franck has been recorded by many great violinist/pianist duos. Among them are:

Violist Tabea Zimmermann released a recording of it arranged for viola and piano with pianist Kirill Gerstein.

Among the recordings of the version for cello and piano are:

Double bassist Mikyung Sung released a recording based on the Delsart cello transcription with pianist Jaemin Shin.

The flute and piano version has been recorded by:

Some transcriptions for oboe and clarinet have been made and recorded by David Walter and Michael Collins, respectively.

In 2020, a recording of a version for theremin and piano, played by Clara Rockmore and Nadia Reisenberg, was released as part of the album Music and Memories: Clara Rockmore.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b Music Web International
  2. ^ a b c d e Colorado Public Radio
  3. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  4. ^ a b Classical Archives
  5. ^ Jason Sundram's Web Palette
  6. ^ a b . Archived from the original on 2007-03-01. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
  7. ^ a b Wolfgang David.com
  8. ^ Gramophone, February 1938
  9. ^ a b . Archived from the original on 2011-07-12. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
  10. ^ Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed, 1954, ed. Eric Blom, Franck, César, vol. III, p. 467
  11. ^ Pullinger, Mark (January 2018). "Franck, Fauré; Prokofiev sonatas for flute and piano". Gramophone. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  12. ^ Peter Jost (11 November 2013). "'Pour Piano et Violon ou Violoncelle' – Is there a cello sonata by César Franck?". Henle Verlag. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  13. ^ (Editor) Peter Jost (2014). "Cesar Franck Sonata in A major, Edition for Violoncello, Urtext Edition". Henle Verlag. Retrieved 13 March 2014. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  14. ^ a b Oxford, W. T. (2001). "PH.D. thesis: A Transcription of Cesar Franck's Sonata in A Major for the Baritone Saxophone" (PDF). University of Texas at Austin. pp. 15–16. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  15. ^ Anne-Sophie Mutter with Alexis Weissenberg 1983: discogs; access-date 2020-08-30.
  16. ^ Anne-Sophie Mutter with Lambert Orkis 1996: discogs; access-date 2020-08-30.
  17. ^ "May 2020 | Nadia Reisenberg/Clara Rockmore Foundation".

External links

July 19, 2023
violin, sonata, franck, sonata, major, violin, piano, césar, franck, best, known, compositions, considered, finest, sonatas, violin, piano, ever, written, amalgam, rich, native, harmonic, language, with, classical, traditions, valued, highly, held, together, c. The Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano by Cesar Franck is one of his best known compositions and is considered one of the finest sonatas for violin and piano ever written 1 It is an amalgam of his rich native harmonic language with the Classical traditions he valued highly held together in a cyclic framework Contents 1 Background 2 Structure 3 Transcriptions 4 Recordings 5 References 6 External linksBackground EditThe Violin Sonata in A was written in 1886 when Cesar Franck was 63 as a wedding present for the 28 year old violinist Eugene Ysaye 1 Twenty eight years earlier in 1858 Franck had promised a violin sonata for Cosima von Bulow This never appeared it has been speculated that whatever work Franck had done on that piece was put aside and eventually ended up in the sonata he wrote for Ysaye in 1886 2 Franck was not present when Ysaye married but on the morning of the wedding on 26 September 1886 in Arlon their mutual friend Charles Bordes presented the work as Franck s gift to Ysaye and his bride Louise Bourdeau de Courtrai After a hurried rehearsal Ysaye and Bordes sister in law the pianist Marie Leontine Bordes Pene 3 played the Sonata to the other wedding guests 4 The Sonata was given its first public concert performance on 16 December of that year 2 at the Musee Moderne de Peinture Museum of Modern Painting in Brussels 5 Ysaye and Bordes Pene were again the performers 2 6 The Sonata was the final item in a long program which started at 3pm When the time arrived for the Sonata dusk had fallen and the gallery was bathed in gloom but the museum authorities permitted no artificial light whatsoever Initially it seemed the Sonata would have to be abandoned but Ysaye and Bordes Pene decided to continue regardless They had to play the last three movements from memory in virtual darkness When the violinist Armand Parent remarked that Ysaye had played the first movement faster than the composer intended Franck replied that Ysaye had made the right decision saying from now on there will be no other way to play it Vincent d Indy who was present recorded these details of the event 7 8 Ysaye kept the Violin Sonata in his repertoire for the next 40 years of his life with a variety of pianists like Theo Ysaye Ernest Chausson Ferruccio Busoni Vincent d Indy Raoul Pugno Camille Decreus Arthur De Greef Leopold Godowsky Yves Nat and many others His championing of the Sonata contributed to the public recognition of Franck as a major composer 9 This recognition was quite belated Franck died within four years of the Sonata s public premiere and did not have his first unqualified public success until the last year of his life on 19 April 1890 at the Salle Pleyel where his String Quartet in D was premiered 10 The Sonata in A regularly appears on concert programs and on recordings and is in the core repertoire of all major violinists Jascha Heifetz played it at his final recital in 1972 The piece is further notable for the difficulty of its piano part when compared with most of the chamber repertoire Its technical problems include frequent extreme extended figures the composer himself having possessed huge hands and virtuoso runs and leaps particularly in the second movement though some passages can be facilitated by employing a spare hand to cover some notes Structure Edit I Allegretto ben moderato source source source II Allegro source source source III Recitativo Fantasia Ben moderato source source source IV Allegretto poco mosso source source source Performed by Tibor Szomora and Minami Matsunaga Problems playing these files See media help The work is cyclic in nature all the movements sharing common thematic threads Themes from one movement reappear in subsequent movements but usually transformed Franck had adapted this technique from Franz Liszt his friend and Cosima von Bulow s father 7 Vincent d Indy described the Sonata as the first and purest model of the cyclical use of themes in sonata form and referred to it as this true musical monument 2 The movements alternate between slow and fast 6 Allegretto ben moderato 98 This gentle and sweetly reflective rocking theme introduced by the violin after a short introduction by the piano is the thematic core of the entire work Franck originally intended it as a slow movement but Ysaye preferred a slightly quicker tempo and convinced Franck to mark it Allegretto 9 Allegro This turbulent movement is sometimes considered the real opening movement with the Allegretto ben moderato serving as a long introduction Ben moderato Recitativo Fantasia This is improvisatory in nature and free in both structure and expression Allegretto poco mosso The main melody is heard in canonic imitation between the instruments and recurs in a rondo like manner to a triumphant and soaring conclusion James Harding described the movement as a magnificent example of canonic writing simple majestic and irresistible in its ample beautifully wrought proportions 2 Transcriptions EditSee also Cello Sonata Franck Delsart Arrangement for flute and piano I Allegretto moderato source source II Allegro source source III Ben moderato Recitativo Fantasia source source IV Allegretto poco mosso source source Performed by Albert Tipton flute and Mary Norris piano Problems playing these files See media help Jean Pierre Rampal made a transcription for flute and piano that is still performed frequently 11 The Violin Sonata in A also exists in versions for cello viola double bass oboe clarinet alto saxophone tuba organ with choir violin and strings and violin and orchestra recorded by Leonid Kogan A version for piano duet by the pianist and composer Alfred Cortot has been recorded several times Cortot also made a for pianists even more challenging version for solo piano which has been played occasionally The setting for cello and piano was the only alternative version sanctioned by Franck 12 This was created by the renowned cellist Jules Delsart After thorough historical study based on reliable documents Delsart s transcription for cello the piano part remains the same as in the violin sonata was published by G Henle Verlag as an Urtext edition 13 Based on oral history Pablo Casals 14 and written document letter written by Antoine Ysaye Eugene Ysaye s son 14 it has often been speculated that the work was first conceived as a sonata for cello and piano and only later reset for violin and piano when the commission from Eugene Ysaye arrived 4 Recordings EditThe Violin Sonata in A by Cesar Franck has been recorded by many great violinist pianist duos Among them are Joshua Bell with Jean Yves Thibaudet Renaud Capucon with Lilya Zilberstein Kyung wha Chung with Radu Lupu Kaja Danczowska with Krystian Zimerman Augustin Dumay with Maria Joao Pires Isabelle Faust with Alexander Melnikov Christian Ferras with Pierre Barbizet Zino Francescatti with Robert Casadesus Erick Friedman with Andre Previn Ivry Gitlis with Martha Argerich Arthur Grumiaux multiple recordings Jascha Heifetz with Arthur Rubinstein and with Brooks Smith Alina Ibragimova with Cedric Tiberghien Sergey Khachatryan with Luisine Khachatryan Shlomo Mintz with Yefim Bronfman Anne Sophie Mutter with Alexis Weissenberg 1983 15 and with Lambert Orkis 1996 16 Takako Nishizaki with Jeno Jando David Oistrakh with Lev Oborin also with Sviatoslav Richter and with Vladimir Yampolsky Elmar Oliveira with Jonathan Feldman Itzhak Perlman with Martha Argerich and with Vladimir Ashkenazy Ossy Renardy with Eugene List Vadim Repin with Nikolai Lugansky Aaron Rosand with Seymour Lipkin Gil Shaham with Gerhard Oppitz Isaac Stern with Alexander Zakin Josef Suk with Jan Panenka Henryk Szeryng with Mindru Katz Gerhard Taschner with Walter Gieseking Jacques Thibaud with Alfred CortotViolist Tabea Zimmermann released a recording of it arranged for viola and piano with pianist Kirill Gerstein Among the recordings of the version for cello and piano are Jacqueline du Pre with Daniel Barenboim du Pre s last recording Ofra Harnoy with Cyprien Katsaris Steven Isserlis with Pascal Devoyon Yo Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott Mischa Maisky with Martha Argerich Leonard Rose with Leonid HambroDouble bassist Mikyung Sung released a recording based on the Delsart cello transcription with pianist Jaemin Shin The flute and piano version has been recorded by Jean Pierre Rampal and Pierre Barbizet James Galway and Martha Argerich Sharon Bezaly and Vladimir AshkenazySome transcriptions for oboe and clarinet have been made and recorded by David Walter and Michael Collins respectively In 2020 a recording of a version for theremin and piano played by Clara Rockmore and Nadia Reisenberg was released as part of the album Music and Memories Clara Rockmore 17 References Edit a b Music Web International a b c d e Colorado Public Radio Gerhard Taschner The Early 78RPM Recordings PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2011 07 18 Retrieved 2011 07 18 a b Classical Archives Jason Sundram s Web Palette a b gotomidori com Archived from the original on 2007 03 01 Retrieved 2007 03 01 a b Wolfgang David com Gramophone February 1938 a b Hollywood Bowl Archived from the original on 2011 07 12 Retrieved 2011 07 12 Grove s Dictionary of Music and Musicians 5th ed 1954 ed Eric Blom Franck Cesar vol III p 467 Pullinger Mark January 2018 Franck Faure Prokofiev sonatas for flute and piano Gramophone Retrieved 17 October 2021 Peter Jost 11 November 2013 Pour Piano et Violon ou Violoncelle Is there a cello sonata by Cesar Franck Henle Verlag Retrieved 13 March 2014 Editor Peter Jost 2014 Cesar Franck Sonata in A major Edition for Violoncello Urtext Edition Henle Verlag Retrieved 13 March 2014 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a author has generic name help a b Oxford W T 2001 PH D thesis A Transcription of Cesar Franck s Sonata in A Major for the Baritone Saxophone PDF University of Texas at Austin pp 15 16 Retrieved 27 March 2014 Anne Sophie Mutter with Alexis Weissenberg 1983 discogs access date 2020 08 30 Anne Sophie Mutter with Lambert Orkis 1996 discogs access date 2020 08 30 May 2020 Nadia Reisenberg Clara Rockmore Foundation External links EditSonata in A major for Violin and Piano Scores at the International Music Score Library Project Portal Classical Music Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Violin Sonata Franck amp oldid 1165424628, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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