The Grand Piano Sonata in

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable composi ...

, Op. 37, was written by Russian composer

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most pop ...

in 1878. Though initially received with critical acclaim, the sonata has struggled to maintain a solid position in the modern repertoire.Dmitri N Nikolov, "Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Grand Sonata in G major, Op. 37: A critical reevaluation" (January 1, 2003). ETD collection for University of Nebraska http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI3117803/> Nevertheless, the sonata has been recorded numerous times and is recognized as one of the composer's masterworks. It is dedicated to Karl Klindworth.

History

The sonata was composed at Clarens and Kamenka between March and April 1878, around the same time as the famous Violin Concerto in D. In a letter to his younger brother Anatolii, Tchaikovsky complains about the difficulties he faced in writing his sonata: When Tchaikovsky's violinist friend

Iosif Kotek Iosif Iosifovich Kotek, also seen as Josef or Yosif (russian: Иосиф Иосифович Котек, ''Iosif Iosifovič Kotek''; 4 January 1885), was a Russian violinist and composer remembered for his association with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. ...

arrived at Clarens, the composer's efforts quickly became focused on his Violin Concerto, and work on the sonata was discontinued. He resumed work on the sonata in mid-April and completed it before the month's end. It was premiered in a concert of the

Russian Musical Society The Russian Musical Society (RMS) (russian: Русское музыкальное общество) was the first music school in Russia open to the general public. It was launched in 1859 by the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna and Anton Rubinstei ...

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

Nikolai Rubinstein Nikolai Grigoryevich Rubinstein (russian: Николай Григорьевич Рубинштейн; – ) was a Russian pianist, conductor, and composer. He was the younger brother of Anton Rubinstein and a close friend of Pyotr Ilyich Tc ...

, much to the composer's delight: The work was later performed by Rubinstein again, and was met with great critical acclaim.Letter 1320 to Nadezdha von Meck, 21 October/2 November – 22 October/3 November 1879. It was first published by

P. Jurgenson P. Jurgenson (in Russian: П. Юргенсон) was, in the early twentieth century, the largest publisher of classical sheet music in Russia. History Founded in 1861, the firm — in its original form, or as it was amalgamated in 1918 with ...

in 1879.

Movements

The work is in an expanded four-movement form, and is distinctly symphonic in character: # Moderato e risoluto (G major) # Andante non troppo quasi Moderato (

E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: : Changes needed ...

) #

Scherzo A scherzo (, , ; plural scherzos or scherzi), in western classical music, is a short composition – sometimes a movement from a larger work such as a symphony or a sonata. The precise definition has varied over the years, but scherzo often re ...

. Allegro giocoso (G major) # Finale. Allegro vivace (G major) Structurally, the four movements are connected by the 'Grand Motif' introduced in the first movement, though it is expressed in a variety of contexts. The first movement is written in common

sonata-allegro Sonata form (also ''sonata-allegro form'' or ''first movement form'') is a musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of the 18th c ...

form, and an array of techniques are used to mimic orchestral colors. The themes presented are undoubtedly Russian, but the composer's strict observance of Western musical tradition is still prevalent. The second movement is a melancholy Andante which lends itself to Tchaikovsky's natural gift for lyricism. It is considerably longer than the two movements that follow it. The third movement is a brief, fast-paced Scherzo, and foreshadows some of the techniques later used by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Alexander Scriabin, mainly in its melodic direction. The fourth and final movement is a galloping Allegro that is very much characteristic of Tchaikovsky's musical style. After sections of difficult passage-work, the sonata closes with an exuberant coda. The average playing time is about 31 minutes.

Notable recordings

* Barry Douglas, released by RCA Victor *

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director and producer.Obituary ''Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and ''Vanity Fair'' and was one o ...

, released by Hyperion * Viktoria Postnikova, released by

Erato Records Erato Records is a record label founded in 1953 as Disques Erato by Philippe Loury to promote French classical music. Loury was head of éditions musicales Costallat. His first releases in France were licensed from the Haydn Society of Boston, a ...

Sviatoslav Richter Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter, group= ( – August 1, 1997) was a Soviet classical pianist. He is frequently regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time, Great Pianists of the 20th Century and has been praised for the "depth of his int ...

, released by

Melodiya Melodiya ( rus, links=no, Мелодия, t=Melody) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) record label. It was the state-owned major record company of the Soviet Union. History Melodiya was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm ...

References

External links

*
Tchaikovsky Research
{{Authority control Compositions by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

1878 compositions Compositions in G major Music with dedications