Piano Sonata I

This is a four movement piano sonata in the Romantic style. The four movements are marked (i.) Lento/Allegro agitato ed appassionata; (II.) Marche funèbre; (III.) Andante cantabile; and (IV.) Fantasia à la Rondo. The sonata is based on a recurring arpeggiated chordal 3 note motif.

The first movement consists of a contrapuntal introduction with the 3 note motif followed by an agitated series of passages with 2 sub-melodies. The first movement follows the classical sonata A-B-A form pioneered by Haydn with an initial melody that then encompasses two secondary melodies. The middle section modulates through the dominant C Major to F Major before returning through a bridging passage to the A section of the movement. The melody and driving base reflect a stormy temperament and a recurrent motivic sixteenth to dotted quarter note is expressed throughout.

The second movement incorporates a modified Marche funèbre (from Opus 28) to restate the motif of the first movement now inverted before moving into the melodies of the march. The second movement ends in a D Major 7th to elide into the third movement the Andante Cantabile in G major.

The Andante Cantabile is based on that of Opus 29. The movement begins and ends in G Major but modulates to C Major before arriving at an A minor stormy passage reflecting the motifs of the first movement.

The last movement is a Fantasia à la Rondo in the key of B♭ Major. The movement is introduced by the three note chord motif in Major in a Handel-like march before eliding into the main rondo theme. The movement follows a more fantasia like format since the rondo theme is not strictly repeated and is developed through various key modulations and a set of variations before concluding with a restatement of the 3 chord motif in B♭ Major.

The Andante cantabile and Marche funèbre were written before the first and fourth movements and published as Op 29 and 28 respectively. Completion of the sonata’s rondo fantasy accounted for the overall length of time required to complete this sonata.

The work was composed from 03 October 2015 through 16 October 2017.