Crossword clues for sonatina
sonatina
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Sonatina \So`na*ti"na\, n. [It.] (Mus.) A short and simple sonata.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
short or simplified sonata, 1801, a diminutive of sonata.
Wiktionary
n. A musical composition resembling a sonata but shorter or simpler.
Wikipedia
A sonatina is literally a small sonata. As a musical term, sonatina has no single strict definition; it is rather a title applied by the composer to a piece that is in basic sonata form, but is shorter and lighter in character, or technically more elementary, than a typical sonata. The term has been in use at least since the late baroque; there is a one-page, one-movement harpsichord piece by Handel called "Sonatina". It is most often applied to solo keyboard works, but a number of composers have written sonatinas for violin and piano (see list under Violin sonata), e.g. Sonatina in G major for Violin and Piano by Antonín Dvořák, and occasionally for other instruments, e.g. the Clarinet Sonatina by Malcolm Arnold.
The title "Sonatina" was used occasionally by J.S. Bach for short orchestral introductions to large vocal works, as in his cantata Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106, a practice with precedent in the work of the earlier German composer Nicolaus Bruhns. This is the only sense in which Bach used the term sonatina, although he composed many chamber and solo sonatas for various instruments.
As with many musical terms, sonatina is used inconsistently. The most common meaning is a short, easy sonata suitable for students, such as the piano sonatinas of Clementi. However, by no means are all sonatinas technically undemanding, for example the virtuoso sonatinas of Busoni and Alkan, and the Sonatine of Ravel, whose title reflects its neo-classical quality. On the other hand, some sonatas could equally have been called sonatinas: for example Beethoven's Op. 49, titled by the composer "Zwei Leichte Sonaten für das Pianoforte" ("Two Easy Sonatas for Piano") comprise only two short movements each, a sonata-allegro and a short rondo (No. 1) or minuet (No. 2), all well within the grasp of the intermediate student. However, other works titled "Sonatina", such as the Sonatina in F major, have been attributed to Beethoven.
In general, a sonatina will have one or more of the following characteristics: brevity; fewer movements than the four of the late classical sonata; technical simplicity; a lighter, less serious character; and (in post-romantic music) a neo-classical style or a reference to earlier music. Muzio Clementi's sonatinas op. 36 are very popular among students.
The first (or only) movement is generally in an abbreviated sonata form, with little or no development of the themes. For this reason, a sonatina is sometimes defined, especially in British usage, as a short piece in sonata form in which the development section is quite perfunctory or entirely absent: the exposition is followed immediately by a brief bridge passage to modulate back to the home key for the recapitulation. Subsequent movements (at most two) may be in any of the common forms: e.g. a minuet or scherzo, a slow theme-and-variations, or a rondo.
Sonatina, Sz. 55, BB. 69 is a piece for solo piano written in 1915 by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. Initially entitled Sonatina on Romanian folk tunes, it is based on folk tunes Bartók collected in his neighbour country Romania, which, even though he proclaimed Hungarian folk music was clearly superior, was a direct source of inspiration all along his active years.
Sonatina is a work for piano solo in three movements composed in 192627 by John Ireland (18791962). He dedicated it to his friend, the conductor and BBC music producer, Edward Clark.
A performance takes about 10½ minutes. The movements are marked:
- Moderato
- Quasi lento
- Rondo. Ritmico, non troppo allegro
The term sonatina has no single strict definition, but is rather a title applied by the composer to a piece in basic sonata form which is shorter and lighter in character, or technically more elementary, than a typical sonata.
The Rondo was used as a test piece in the 1928 Daily Express Piano Competition, which was won by Cyril Smith. It had been recorded by William Murdoch as a guide to competitors. Lewis Foreman has written, "that Ireland even then recognised the piano not only for its romantic and singing qualities, but also - almost Bartók like - as a percussion instrument".
Usage examples of "sonatina".
Sonatina in C and then rewarded herself by playing the Mozart Sonatina, one of her favorites.
It was a hope which was already dying an hour or so later, as the last chord of the sonatina she had played.
George, the music master, flipped up his coattails, seated himself, and plunged into a Mozart sonatina, Marianne knew what she had been missing all her life.
The piano sonatina of the Funeral March, although by no means as insignificant, is nevertheless uncharacteristic in the resemblances it bears the music of Ravel.
More minute details of the Sonatine form will be given in the next chapter, in connection with the larger and more fully developed Sonata-allegro form.
George, the music master, flipped up his coattails, seated himself, and plunged into a Mozart sonatina, Marianne knew what she had been missing all her life.
She could also have shewn me a little sonatina which he had once composed for her.