"Violin Sonata #1"

Violin and Piano

This work was also a commission by a musical colleague. Maeanna Naffe wanted me to break some new ground with my writing and compose something that emphasized more emotion than tonality. The biggest reason for this was because she was looking to me to help tell her personal story. To say this was quite a responsibility was an understatement. A good bit of our discussions involved her telling me about these events (and no doubt reliving many of the emotions she experienced at the time). The result was a work that was definitely outside of my comfort zone but one which definitely expanded my compositional horizons!

The piece is in three movements, each of which is a tableau of events and feelings.

The first movement wavers between feelings of frustration, hope, anxiety, and, at times, envy.

The second movement is the most dramatic of the three, climaxing at a moment of deception and abandonment leading to a very emotional tailspin into the depths of despair which, at the end, is pierced by a pair of innocent and childlike tones from the piano which the violin slowly imitates as though finally acknowledging that there is hope and purpose ahead.

The third movement builds on that "innocent" two-note motive first heard at the end of the second movement and then expands into a hopeful and even joyful conclusion that occasionally looks back upon events depicted previously but now those are fading memories and no longer the present moment. The piece ends with the idea of hope triumphing over despair.

This piece had its first movement premiered by Maeanna and pianist Bethany Wood in October of 2019 Pensacola ComposerFest XV.

Scores

Violin Sonata #1

Set of parts (PDFs) - $25