Violin Sonata No. 1

This violin sonata was written over the course of about three years, from 2011-13. The first movement was completed in about a week, but I kept writing different movements to follow it, working out an overarching structure. It was composed with the idea of the pitch “C” being a home base, and the more the listener zooms out, the more apparent this becomes. I was very conscious of using the word “sonata” to describe the piece—the word has a long and confusing history. I always interpreted the fundamental concept of the sonata as a Tolkien-esque “there and back again” idea: starting in one place, going somewhere different, and returning home slightly changed. Traditionally, these principles are most evident in the first movement of a sonata, but in this piece, I blew up the form and cast it over the whole piece: the first movement sounds a particular way, the second movement departs from that, and the third movement serves as a recapitulation of the first. This “there and back again” concept is also evident in the main melodic cell of the piece, a note that falls slightly and scoops back up to the original pitch. The main interplay here is between the chromatic alterations of the pitches that separate the high point and the low point of the motive. Tension is also provided by the dramatic relationship between the violin and the piano in which they constantly argue over who does what job, where to go, and other disputes frequently brought up by people embarking on an adventure together. The sonata principle ties all the elements of the piece together to create a cohesive musical journey.