Sonata for Solo Violin, op. 27, no. 2 (Ysaÿe)
Encyclopedia
The Sonata for Solo Violin, Op. 27, No. 2 "Jacques Thibaud" is a sonata
in four movements
from Six sonatas for solo violin
, each one dedicated to one of Ysaÿe's contemporary violinists.
Sonata No. 2 was dedicated to Jacques Thibaud
, a friend of Ysaÿe's. The fact that Thibaud had lived in Ysaÿe's home, and the fact that Ysaÿe once lent his Guarnerius and Stradivarius
to Thibaud when Thibaud's violin adjustment was not ready for concert, show Ysaÿe's admiration for his friend.
the beginning of Prelude
from J. S. Bach's Partita No. 3 in E major
for solo violin. Much like Bach's E major Prelude, the movement consists of virtuosic sixteenth note
s throughout, yet Ysaÿe's use of chromatic tonality clearly sets the piece in the genre of early 20th century music. Direct quotes from Bach's Prelude appear frequently, showing Ysaÿe's "obsession" with Bach's work. Another prominent theme is the "Dies Irae
", a plainchant from the Catholic Mass for the Dead
. Ysaÿe often employed his own symbols to indicate specific directions to players; for example, in the 74th bar of this movement, he uses one of his symbols over the first note of each beat to indicate that these notes should be played by the whole bow.
. At the very end of this movement, Ysaÿe, in unmeasured notes, quotes the Dies Irae
melody, which recurs in the last movement.
is based on a theme-and-variation
pattern. The theme itself is again a variation of Dies irae. In the first few bars, the theme is played with pizzicato
, making it sound as if played by guitar
or lute
. The movement consists of six variations, and each variation develops gradually to the end. In the first variation, for example, Ysaÿe instructs the player not to use vibrato
, in order to maintain a simple tone. The last variation is composed of technically demanding thirty-second note
s, all played forte
. Then, the theme is repeated, but this time, it is played with the bow.
melody appears recurrently throughout the movement. Some of the Dies Irae figures are played sul ponticello, for instance in measures 41 and 58.
Sonata
Sonata , in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to a cantata , a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era...
in four movements
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
from Six sonatas for solo violin
Six Sonatas for solo violin (Ysaÿe)
Eugène Ysaÿe's Six sonatas for solo violin, Op. 27, is a set of sonatas for unaccompanied violin written in July 1923. Each sonata was dedicated to one of Ysaÿe’s contemporary violinists: Joseph Szigeti , Jacques Thibaud , George Enescu , Fritz Kreisler , Mathieu Crickboom , and Manuel Quiroga...
, each one dedicated to one of Ysaÿe's contemporary violinists.
Characteristics of the "Thibaud" sonata
- Obsession; Prelude
- Malinconia
- Danse des Ombres; Sarabande
- Les furies
Sonata No. 2 was dedicated to Jacques Thibaud
Jacques Thibaud
Jacques Thibaud was a French violinist.Thibaud was born in Bordeaux and studied the violin with his father before entering the Paris Conservatoire at the age of thirteen. In 1896 he jointly won the conservatory's violin prize with Pierre Monteux...
, a friend of Ysaÿe's. The fact that Thibaud had lived in Ysaÿe's home, and the fact that Ysaÿe once lent his Guarnerius and Stradivarius
Stradivarius
The name Stradivarius is associated with violins built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or reproduce, though this belief is controversial...
to Thibaud when Thibaud's violin adjustment was not ready for concert, show Ysaÿe's admiration for his friend.
I. Obsession - Prelude: Poco vivace
At the very beginning of the movement, Ysaÿe directly quotesMusical quotation
Musical quotation is the practice of directly quoting another work in a new composition. The quotation may be from the same composer's work , or from a different composer's work ....
the beginning of Prelude
Prelude (music)
A prelude is a short piece of music, the form of which may vary from piece to piece. The prelude can be thought of as a preface. It may stand on its own or introduce another work...
from J. S. Bach's Partita No. 3 in E major
Partita for Violin No. 3 (Bach)
The Partita No. 3 in E major BWV 1006 by Johann Sebastian Bach for solo violin consists of the following movements:# Preludio# Loure# Gavotte en Rondeau# Menuets # Bourrée# GigaIt takes approximately 20 minutes to perform....
for solo violin. Much like Bach's E major Prelude, the movement consists of virtuosic sixteenth note
Sixteenth note
thumb|right|Figure 1. A sixteenth note with stem facing up, a sixteenth note with stem facing down, and a sixteenth rest.thumb|right|Figure 2. Four sixteenth notes beamed together....
s throughout, yet Ysaÿe's use of chromatic tonality clearly sets the piece in the genre of early 20th century music. Direct quotes from Bach's Prelude appear frequently, showing Ysaÿe's "obsession" with Bach's work. Another prominent theme is the "Dies Irae
Dies Irae
Dies Irae is a thirteenth century Latin hymn thought to be written by Thomas of Celano . It is a medieval Latin poem characterized by its accentual stress and its rhymed lines. The metre is trochaic...
", a plainchant from the Catholic Mass for the Dead
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
. Ysaÿe often employed his own symbols to indicate specific directions to players; for example, in the 74th bar of this movement, he uses one of his symbols over the first note of each beat to indicate that these notes should be played by the whole bow.
II. Malinconia - Poco lento
Ysaÿe indicates that the entire slow movement be played with muteMute (music)
A mute is a device fitted to a musical instrument to alter the sound produced: by affecting the timbre, reducing the volume, or most commonly both.- Musical directions for muting :...
. At the very end of this movement, Ysaÿe, in unmeasured notes, quotes the Dies Irae
Dies Irae
Dies Irae is a thirteenth century Latin hymn thought to be written by Thomas of Celano . It is a medieval Latin poem characterized by its accentual stress and its rhymed lines. The metre is trochaic...
melody, which recurs in the last movement.
III. Danse des ombres - Sarabande (Lento)
The sarabandeSarabande
In music, the sarabande is a dance in triple metre. The second and third beats of each measure are often tied, giving the dance a distinctive rhythm of quarter notes and eighth notes in alternation...
is based on a theme-and-variation
Variation (music)
In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve harmony, melody, counterpoint, rhythm, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these.-Variation form:...
pattern. The theme itself is again a variation of Dies irae. In the first few bars, the theme is played with pizzicato
Pizzicato
Pizzicato is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of stringed instrument....
, making it sound as if played by guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
or lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
. The movement consists of six variations, and each variation develops gradually to the end. In the first variation, for example, Ysaÿe instructs the player not to use vibrato
Vibrato
Vibrato is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms of two factors: the amount of pitch variation and the speed with which the pitch is varied .-Vibrato and...
, in order to maintain a simple tone. The last variation is composed of technically demanding thirty-second note
Thirty-second note
In music, a thirty-second note or demisemiquaver is a note played for 1/32 of the duration of a whole note...
s, all played forte
Dynamics (music)
In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
. Then, the theme is repeated, but this time, it is played with the bow.
IV. Les Furies - Allegro furioso
The Dies IraeDies Irae
Dies Irae is a thirteenth century Latin hymn thought to be written by Thomas of Celano . It is a medieval Latin poem characterized by its accentual stress and its rhymed lines. The metre is trochaic...
melody appears recurrently throughout the movement. Some of the Dies Irae figures are played sul ponticello, for instance in measures 41 and 58.