William Alwyn (1905-1985)
Nationality:
English
Born: November 7, 1905, Northampton Died: September 11, 1985, Southwold (age 79)
Sonata impromptu
(for violin and viola)
| I. | Prelude | ||
| II. | Theme and Variations | ||
| III. | Finale alla Capriccio |
Duration: 16 minutes (approximately)
Composed:
1939 (age 33-34)
Related Composers
Jeremy Dale Roberts (1934-2017)
Student
Nationality:
English
Born: May 16, 1934, Gloucestershire Died: July 11, 2017 (age 83)
Geraldine Mucha (1917-2012)
Student
Nationality:
Scottish
Born: July 5, 1917, London Died: October 12, 2012, Prague (age 95)
glossary
- alla [I], all', à la [F]—to the, in the manner of
- capriccio, caprice, capriccioso, capricieux, capricieuse—a short character piece, typically in a humorous, fanciful, or playful manner. The concept juxtaposes the improvisatory free-form fantasy against the more formal, "serious" and logically "worked-out" sonata forms.Within a caprice, the range of expression may well include the serious and dark as well as demanding extraordinary technical skills such as a prelude or etude.
- 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
- finale [I], final [F]—The final movement, sometimes explicitly titled thus
- impromptu—an improvisation, a spontaneous expression
- prelude, prélude, präludium [G], präludien [G, pl], praeludium, preludio—a movement preceding another almost by way of introduction: to let listeners and players acclimate, often to prepare for greater demands ahead
- 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.
- tema con variazioni, con variazioni, Tema e variazioni, theme and variations, Thema mit Variationen [G], Thème varié [F]—a common movement form featuring an initial theme followed by a series of variations on that theme, each of which adjusts any number of parameters to achieve variety, e.g. tempo, rhythm, key, instrumentation, etc.A challenge to the composers ingenuity and a delight for the listener