| Sei sonate a quattro | |
|---|---|
| by Gioachino Rossini | |
 | |
| Composed | 1804 |
| Dedication | Agostino Triossi |
| Performed | Casa Triossi, Ravenna |
| Published | 1826, Casa Ricordi, Milan |
| Scoring | 2 violins 1 cello 1 double bass |
Six string sonatas were written by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini in 1804 but were not published until 1826. The sonatas are among Rossini's earliest recognized works, as he composed them while only 12 years old.
Rossini composed his six string sonatas while staying in Ravenna during the summer of 1804. He was 12 years old at the time and was living in the home of the amateur double bass enthusiast Agostini Triossi. Triossi's influence was likely the reason why the double bass is featured prominently in the sonatas. [1] According to Rossini himself, the sonatas were:
... composed and copied by me in three days and performed in a doggish way by Triossi, the Morini brothers, and the second violin by myself who was, to tell the truth, the least doggish. [2]
With the exception of a single song, the six string sonatas are considered Rossini's earliest compositions. Though the music presents weaknesses and deficiencies, the sonatas are still considered remarkable works for a composer of such young age and inexperience. [1]
In 1826, five of the six string sonatas (excluding Sonata No. 3) were first published by Casa Ricordi in Milan as standard string quartets. A further transposition for wind instruments is dated 1828/1829. However, the whereabouts of the sonatas eventually became a mystery, and scholars assumed that were destroyed. In 1942, the sonatas published by Ricordi were rediscovered, and in 1954, Rossini's original score was found in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. [1]
Rossini's six string sonatas are scored for four string instruments: two violins, a cello, and a double bass. Thus, the sonatas are sometimes referred to as sonate a quattro ("sonatas for four"). Each sonata is in three movements, with performances ranging from 11 to 16 minutes long. The sonatas are in major keys, and their movements all follow a typical "fast–slow–fast" tempo pattern. For three of the sonatas, however, the second Andante movement is in a minor key. [1]
The sonatas exhibit multiple departures from musical expectations: the material is not formally developed in ways characteristic of other classical works, and the typical role of the cello is magnified with the introduction of a double bass. [1]
The first sonata is in G Major:
The second sonata is in A Major:
The third sonata is in C Major:
The fourth sonata is in B-flat Major:
The fifth sonata is in E-flat Major:
The sixth sonata is in D Major:
Franz Ignaz Danzi was a German cellist, composer and conductor, the son of the Italian cellist Innocenz Danzi (1730–1798) and brother of the noted singer Franzeska Danzi. Danzi lived at a significant time in the history of European music. His career, spanning the transition from the late Classical to the early Romantic styles, coincided with the origin of much of the music that lives in our concert halls and is familiar to contemporary classical-music audiences. In his youth he knew Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whom he revered; he was a contemporary of Ludwig van Beethoven, about whom he — like many of his generation — had strong but mixed feelings and he was a mentor for the young Carl Maria von Weber, whose music he respected and promoted.
The Octet in F major, D. 803 was composed by Franz Schubert in March 1824. It was commissioned by the renowned clarinetist Ferdinand Troyer and came from the same period as two of Schubert's other major chamber works, the 'Rosamunde' and 'Death and the Maiden' string quartets.
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The String Sextet in D minor "Souvenir de Florence", Op. 70, is a string sextet scored for 2 violins, 2 violas, and 2 cellos composed in the summer of 1890 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky dedicated the work to the St. Petersburg Chamber Music Society in response to his becoming an Honorary Member. The work, in the traditional four-movement form, was titled "Souvenir de Florence" because the composer sketched one of the work's principal themes while visiting Florence, Italy, where he composed The Queen of Spades. The work was revised between December 1891 and January 1892, before being premiered in 1892. It is the only string sextet by the composer.
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The String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 44, No. 1, MWV R 30 was composed by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) in July 1838 at the age of 29. It premiered in 1839, then was published later in 1840. It is a traditional quartet, comprising two violins, a viola, and a cello. The piece is part of the Op. 44 set of 3 string quartets that Mendelssohn dedicated to the Crown Prince of Sweden.
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In 1816, Franz Schubert composed his first three violin sonatas, D 384, 385 and 408. They were published after the composer's death as Sonatinas in 1836. These sonatas breathe an intimate atmosphere, requiring relatively little virtuoso bravura from their performers.
The Violin Sonata No. 2 in E♭ major, Op. 102, was written by Camille Saint-Saëns from February to March 1896, and premiered on 2 June 1896 in Paris.
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