Paul Viardot (1857-1941)

Nationality: French

Born: July 20, 1857, Courtavenel Died: December 11, 1941 (age 84)

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Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major, Op. 5

(for violin and piano)

6:12	I.	Allegro
5:40	II.	Andante
5:00	III.	Allegro assai

Duration: 17 minutes (approximately)

Composed: 1883 (age 25-26)

Published: 1883 (age 25-26)

Dedication: À Son Altesse Royal Le Grand-Duc Charles-Alexandre de Saxe-Weimar

1 recording, 3 videos

autoopen autoplay

6:12

Reto Kuppel, Wolfgang Manz

I. Allegro

5:40

Reto Kuppel, Wolfgang Manz

II. Andante

5:00

Reto Kuppel, Wolfgang Manz

III. Allegro assai

From Edition Silvertrust

Paul ViardotPaul Viardot Paul Viardot (1857-1941) was born in the French town of Courtavenet. His mother, Pauline Viardot, was a famous singer as well as a composer. He attended the Paris Conservatory where he studied violin with Hubert Leonard and composition with César Franck and Théodore Dubois. He became a prominent soloist and enjoyed considerable success particularly in France and England. Gabriel Fauré dedicated his first violin sonata to him.

Virtually all of Viardot's compositions are for the violin. His Violin Sonata No.1 in G Major, Op.5 dates from 1883. The opening movement, Allegro, is dominated by its rhythm which creates a continual sense of forward motion. The second movement, Andante, begins quietly but as the music progresses tension builds to an eventual Allegro before return to a quiet ending. The finale, Allegro assai, features a beautiful series of flowing themes.

Here is a fine work, beautifully crafted by a violinist for his own instrument. Unavailable for nearly a century, it would do well in the recital hall and we are pleased to make it available one again.

Related Composers

Pauline Viardot (1821-1910)

mother

Nationality: French

Born: July 18, 1821, Paris Died: May 18, 1910, Paris (age 88)

glossary

allegro [I]—fast, lively tempo. From the Italian word for cheerful or gay.
andante [I]—moderately slow tempo (e.g. walking). Faster than adagio but slower than allegretto
assai—very much. Intensifies the direction of its neighboring words, e.g. "allegro assai", very fast
chamber music, Kammermusik [G], musique de chambre [F], musica da camera [I], musica cameralis [L]—"Classical Music" for a small ensemble, generally 8 or fewer players with a canonical emphasis on 3-6 players. explore
duo, duet, dueto [S], duetto [I], duett [G]—a work for two instruments; the ensemble itself
opus [L], opera[pl], Op., Opp, WoO, Op. posth—work, as in a work of art. For unique identification, publishers/composers often assign an "opus number", abbreviated as "Op." (e.g. Op. 1). A range of works by opus number, uses the plural "opp." (e.g. "Opp. 1-3"). A single opus number may refer to a collection of works (e.g. a set of quartets) giving rise to designations like "Op. 1, No. 4". For misc. works without opus numbers, "WoO" is often used (e.g."Without Opus"). Posthumously assigned numbers may use "Op. posth". Opus numbers may not precisely reflect chronology (publication vs. composition), can be erroneous, sparse or duplicative. Thus, the works of some historically important composers may use separate catalog numbers (e.g. Bach, Haydn, Schubert). See wiki
sonata, sonate, suonato—a complicated term. Originally, "sounded" rather than "sung" (sonar vs. cantar), e.g. instrumental music. According to historical period, sonata began to imply a formal plan of movements as well as the structure within a single movement, e.g. sonata form. In general usage as a work title, it designates a multi-movement piece for solo or duo instruments with one of the instruments enjoying a feature role.
violin sonata—a multi-movement work for violin and keyboard (or continuo) though there are sonatas for solo violin as well as sonatas in a single movement. While the violin would seem to be the featured instrument, many sonatas starting with the classical period find the piano to be an equal partner in the sense of a chamber work for two players.