Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 05/02/2012, uploaded on 05/02/2012

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

The petite Sonatine in F-sharp minor emerged alongside one of Maurice Ravel’s defining piano works, Miroirs. At the urging of a friend, Ravel entered a composition sponsored by the magazine Weekly Critical Review for the first movement of a piano sonatina no longer than seventy-five measures. He was the only entrant, and was disqualified for exceeding that limit by a few bars. The magazine soon went bankrupt, and Ravel was left with an opening movement of a sonata that demanded fulfillment. Two years later, he added two more movements, a minuet and toccata-like finale, and the final product was premiered on March 10, 1906 in Lyon by Paule de Lestang. It was warmly received and immediately snatched up by Ravel’s publisher, Durand.

Written during Ravel’s burgeoning maturity, the Sonatine is an example of his more than capable handling of the Classical traditions before him. The first movement is a well-structured, even straightforward, sonata form (albeit utilizing Ravel’s Impressionistic harmonic colorings). Two themes emerge in the exposition—the first in tonic key of F-sharp minor, and the second in D major and B minor. Following this nearly textbook exposition is a dynamic and concise development section which fully captures the spirit of prior century and a recapitulation that ultimately leads to a close in the tonic major. Owing to its diminutive form, the following minuet exists without a trio. Shifting to the key of the dominant (here spelt as D-flat major), it unfolds as a slow waltz, elegant and restrained but nonetheless building through moments of passion and intensity. Lastly, the toccata finale is the most technically challenging of the Sonatine’s three movements. Inspired in part by the keyboard writing of Couperin and Rameau, the movement shifts restlessly between 3/4 and 5/4 time and abounds in energy, driving the work to a brilliant conclusion.      Joseph DuBose

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Sonatine  Maurice Ravel

Ravel’s charming Sonatine (given the diminutive title because its length is shorter than a traditional sonata) pays homage to the Classical form; however, it also makes subtle use of modern harmony. Ravel had a financial incentive for the work’s brevity, as it was originally penned for a 1903 competition by a fine-arts magazine calling for a 75-measure first movement of a piano sonata; the prize was 100 francs. Ravel, the only entrant, submitted a movement that was a few measures too long. No winner was declared as the magazine was nearing bankruptcy and cancelled the competition. The composer eventually completed the second and third movements in 1905.

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.