General information
Title CZSonáta pro housle a klavír č. 1
Title ENSonata for Violin and Piano No. 1
Title DESonate für Violine und Klavier Nr. 1
Title FRSonate pour violon et piano n° 1
CategoryChamber Music
SubcategoryDuos for Violin and Piano
Halbreich number182
Parts of the composition (movements)1. Introduction et Allegro 2. Andante 3. Allegretto
Durata19'
InstrumentsVl Pf
Origin
Place of compositionParis
Year of origin1929
Initiation of composition10/1929
Completion of composition04.11.1929
First performance
Performer Maire, Pierre
Sampigny-Bailly, Hortense de
Date of the first performance05.11.1930
Location of the first performanceParis, École normale de musique de Paris
Note on the first performanceHortense de Sampigny (Vl), Pierre Maire (Pf)
Autograph deposition
Owner of the sourceÉditions Alphonse Leduc
Note on the autograph depostitionAutograph solo part also held by Éditions Alphonse Leduc.
Draft held by the Czech Museum of Music in Prague.
Fascimile of the autograph and printed score from 1930 with Martinu's inscribed dedication located at the Bohuslav Martinů Centre in Polička.
Copyright
CopyrightÉditions Alphonse Leduc
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Editions
Éditions Alphonse Leduc, Paris, 1930
Call number at the BM Institute: 1063,a
Details of this edition
Éditions Alphonse Leduc, Paris, 1930
Call number at the BM Institute: 1063b
Details of this edition
Sources
References Related writings
Documents in the Library
Note Title on the title page of the autograph: "I. Sonate | pour violon et piano" ("I." probably added later).
About the composition

The Sonata for violin and piano No. 1 is the third of Martinů's five violin sonatas; he considered the first two to be juvenilia and did not authorize their publication or performance. It was composed at the very end of his "jazz period", which had also given rise to the ballet Kitchen Revue, H 161 (1927), the jazz-inspired operas and the orchestral works Le Jazz, H 168, and Jazz Suite, H 172 (both 1928). This is an agitated, provocative work, rhapsodically flamboyant, savagely beautiful, and the writing for both instruments is highly virtuosic. The focal point of this sonata is its expansive central movement with blues elements. The abundant use of solo cadenzas in both outer movements brings this work conceptually close to the solo concerto genre. This would appear to be Martinů's self-assured reaction to the great jazz-influenced musical works that had appeared shortly before, perhaps to Ravel's Violin Sonata, or else to Gershwin's American in Paris. The violin sonata No. 1 was performed not long after it was composed, by the composer's best friend Stanislav Novák with pianist Karel Šolc.

Aleš Březina, programme of the Bohuslav Martinů Festival's concert, 10. 12. 2003; Martinů: Works for Violin and Piano, © 1999 Supraphon Music a.s 

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