Three Sonatinas
- No. 1: 7.25 mins[2]
- No. 2: 5.5 mins[3]
- No. 3: 6.5 mins[4]
The Three Sonatinas (in German: Drei Sonatinen), Op. 67, is a collection of compositions for piano written in July 1912 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/EJ%C3%A4rnefelt_1892sketch_Sibelius_%28cropped%2C_adjusted%29.jpg/172px-EJ%C3%A4rnefelt_1892sketch_Sibelius_%28cropped%2C_adjusted%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Jean_Sibelius_1927_Ainola_Steinway_piano.jpg/172px-Jean_Sibelius_1927_Ainola_Steinway_piano.jpg)
In 1912 Sibelius found himself creatively at a crossroads, still searching for his next major project in the wake of the Symphony No. 4 in A minor (Op. 63), which he had premiered the previous April in Helsinki. He considered composing one to two orchestral fantasies or, alternatively, a new symphony. Moreover, he toyed with the idea of, finally, undertaking a large-scale opera (The Maiden in the Tower, JS 101, from 1896 had been a brief, one-acter), after the Finnish operatic soprano Aino Ackté and Jalmari Finne [fi] had approached him with a libretto.
Structure and music
Sonatina No. 1
The First Sonatina is in F-sharp minor and has three movements:
- Allegro
- Largo
- Allegro moderato
Sonatina No. 2
The Second Sonatina is in E major and also has three movements:
- Allegro
- Andantino
- Allegro
Sonatina No. 3
The Third Sonatina is in B-flat major and has two movements, although some commentators consider the Allegretto (bar 39) in Movement II to be sufficiently distinct in its thematic material that it constitutes a de facto third movement:
- Andante – Allegro moderato
- Andante – Allegretto
Reception
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Erik-Tawaststjerna-1962_%28cropped%29.jpg/170px-Erik-Tawaststjerna-1962_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Robert Layton characterizes the Three Sonatinas as "probably Sibelius's most convincing keyboard works. They are compact in design and economical in utterance ... the suitability of the ideas to the medium ... shows a considerable advance over Sibelius's earlier work". Indeed, Layton proclaims the First Sonatina as "the most perfect" composition in Sibelius's entire output for solo piano, although "the remaining two ... are very nearly as fine".[5]
Discography
The Hungarian pianist Ervin László made the world premiere studio recording of the Three Sonatinas in 1959 for RCA Victor.[1] The sortable table below lists this and other commercially available recordings of the Sonatinas:
No. | Pianist | Runtimes[a] | Rec.[b] | Recording venue | Label | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Op. 67/1 | Op. 67/2 | Op. 67/3 | ||||||
1 | Ervin László | RCA Red Seal | [c] | |||||
2 | Izumi Tateno | 6:25 | 5:25 | – | 1971 | EMI Classics | [d] | |
3 | Glenn Gould | 10:53 | 7:10 | 7:24 | 1977 | Eaton's Auditorium | Sony Classical | [e] |
4 | David Rubenstein | 6:09 | 4:50 | 4:52 | Musical Heritage Society | [f] | ||
5 | Erik T. Tawaststjerna | 7:15 | 5:42 | 6:22 | 1981 | Studio BIS, Djursholm | BIS | [g] |
6 | Viktoria Postnikova | 10:52 | 6:32 | 8:27 | Melodiya | [h] | ||
7 | Annette Servadei [ja] | 7:43 | 6:35 | 7:45 | 1993 | St George's Church, Brandon Hill | Olympia | [i] |
8 | Marita Viitasalo [fi] | 7:55 | 6:34 | 7:30 | 1994 | Järvenpää Hall [fi] | Finlandia | [j] |
9 | Eero Heinonen [fi] | 7:13 | 5:57 | 6:20 | 1996 | YLE M2 Studio, Helsinki | Finlandia | [k] |
10 | Håvard Gimse | 6:58 | 5:40 | 6:33 | 2000 | St Martin's Church, East Woodhay | Naxos | [l] |
11 | Katriina Korte | 7:08 | 6:18 | 6:38 | 2001 | Järvenpää Hall [fi] | Alba [fi] | [m] |
12 | Folke Gräsbeck [fi] | 7:04 | 5:37 | 5:23 | 2009 | Kuusankoski Hall [fi] | BIS | [n] |
13 | Joseph Tong | 6:34 | 5:39 | 5:36 | 2014 | Jacqueline Du Pré Music Building | Quartz | [o] |
14 | Janne Mertanen | 7:02 | 6:07 | 5:53 | 2015 | [Unknown], Helsinki | Sony Classical | [p] |
15 | Terhi Dostal [fi] | 7:01 | 5:41 | 6:23 | 2022 | RBB Sall 3, Berlin | Hänssler Classic | [q] |
Notes, references, and sources
- Notes
- ^ All runtimes are official, as printed on CD or LP liner notes.
- ^ Refers to the year in which the performers recorded the work; this may not be the same as the year in which the recording was first released to the general public.
- ^ [ E. László–RCA Red Seal () yyyy]
- ^ I. Tateno–EMI Classics (7491062) 1988
- ^ G. Gould–Sony Classical (SM2K 52 654) 2002
- ^ D. Rubenstein–Musical Heritage Society (MHS 1218) 1977
- ^ E. Tawaststjerna–BIS (CD–196) 1987
- ^ V. Postnikova–Label (С10–22413/4) 1985
- ^ A. Servadei–Olympia (OCD 633) 1997
- ^ M. Viitasalo–Finlandia (4509–98984–2) 1995
- ^ E. Heinonen–Finlandia (8573–80776–2) 2000
- ^ H. Gimse–Naxos (8.554814) 2001
- ^ K. Korte–Alba (ABCA 159) 2001
- ^ F. Gräsbeck–BIS (CD–1927/29) 2010
- ^ J. Tong–Quartz (QTZ 2123) 2017
- ^ J. Mertanen–Sony Classics (888751614222) 2015
- ^ T. Dostal–Hänssler Classic (HC23048) 2022
- References
- ^ a b Dahlström 2003, p. 301.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, p. 299.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, p. 300.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, pp. 300–301.
- ^ Layton 1993, p. 192.
- Sources
- Barnett, Andrew (2007). Sibelius. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-11159-0.
- Dahlström, Fabian [in Swedish] (2003). Jean Sibelius: Thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke [Jean Sibelius: A Thematic Bibliographic Index of His Works] (in German). Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel. ISBN 3-7651-0333-0.
- Layton, Robert (1993) [1965]. Sibelius. (The Master Musicians Series) (4th ed.). New York: Schirmer Books. ISBN 0028713222.
External links
- Three Sonatinas, Op. 67: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- v
- t
- e
- Kullervo (1892)
- Symphony No. 1 (1899, rev. 1900)
- Symphony No. 2 (1902)
- Symphony No. 3 (1907)
- Symphony No. 4 (1911)
- Symphony No. 5 (1915, rev. 1916, 1919)
- Symphony No. 6 (1923)
- Symphony No. 7 (1924)
- Symphony No. 8 (mid 1920s–c. 1938, abandoned)
- Violin Concerto (1904, rev. 1905)
- Two Serenades (1912–1913)
- Two Serious Melodies (1914–1915)
- Six Humoresques (1917–1918, No. 1 rev. 1940)
- Suite for Violin and String Orchestra (1929)
- En saga (1892, rev. 1902)
- Spring Song (1894, rev. 1895)
- The Wood Nymph (1895)
- Lemminkäinen Suite
- 1895, rev. 1897, 1900, 1939; includes The Swan of Tuonela
- Finlandia (1899)
- Pohjola's Daughter (1906)
- Nightride and Sunrise (1909)
- The Dryad (1910)
- The Bard (1913)
- Luonnotar (1913)
- The Oceanides (1914, rev. 1914)
- Tapiola (1926)
- The Building of the Boat (1893–1894, abandoned)
- The Maiden in the Tower (1896)
- King Christian II (1898)
- Kuolema
- 1903; includes Valse triste
- Pelléas et Mélisande (1905)
- Belshazzar's Feast (1906)
- Swanwhite (1908)
- The Lizard (1909)
- The Language of the Birds (1911)
- Scaramouche (1913)
- Everyman (1916)
- The Tempest (1925)
- Cantata for the University Graduation Ceremonies of 1894
- Cantata for the Coronation of Nicholas II (1896)
- Cantata for the University Graduation Ceremonies of 1897
- The Origin of Fire (1902, rev. 1910)
- The Captive Queen (1906)
- My Own Land (1918)
- Song of the Earth (1919)
- Hymn of the Earth (1920)
- Väinämöinen's Song (1926)
- The Rapids-Rider's Brides (1897)
- The Breaking of the Ice on the Oulu River (1899)
- Snöfrid (1900)
- Marjatta (1905, abandoned)
- Impromptu (1902, rev. 1910)
- The Raven (1910, abandoned)
- Overture in E major (1891)
- Ballet Scene (1891)
- Karelia Suite (1893)
- Rakastava (1894, arr. 1912)
- Scènes historiques I (1899, arr. 1911)
- Overture in A minor (1902)
- Romance in C major (1904)
- Cassazione (1904, rev. 1905)
- Pan and Echo (1906)
- In memoriam (1909, rev. 1910)
- Scènes historiques II (1912)
- Suite mignonne (1921)
- Suite champêtre (1922)
- Suite caractéristique (1922)
- String Quartet in E-flat major (1885)
- String Quartet in A minor (1889)
- String Quartet in B-flat major (1890)
- String Quartet in D minor, Voces intimae (1909)
- Andante festivo (1922, orch. 1938)
- Piano Trio in A minor, Hafträsk (1886)
- Piano Trio in D major, Korpo (1887)
- Piano Trio in C major, Lovisa (1888)
- Water Droplets (c. 1875–1881)
- Pieces for brass septet (1889–1899)
- Piano Quintet (1890)
- Malinconia (1900)
- Violin Sonatina (1915)
- Six Impromptus (1893)
- Piano Sonata (1893)
- Ten Pieces, Op. 24 (1895–1903)
- Kyllikki (1904)
- Three Sonatinas (1912)
- The Bells of Kallio Church (1912, arr. 1912)
- Two Rondinos (1912)
- Five Pieces, The Trees, Op. 75 (1914)
- Five Pieces, The Flowers, Op. 85 (1916–1917)
- Five Esquisses (1929)
- Seven Runeberg Songs, Op. 13 (1891–1892)
- "Serenad", JS 168 (1894–1895)
- Six Songs, Op. 36 (1899–1900)
- Five Songs, Op. 37 (1900–1902)
- Seven Songs, Op. 17 (1891–1904)
- Five Songs, Op. 38 (1903–1904; includes "Höstkväll")
- Six Songs, Op. 50 (1906)
- Two Songs, Op. 35 (1908)
- "Kom nu hit, död", Op. 60/1 (1909, orch. 1957)
- "Arioso", Op. 3 (1911)
- Five Christmas Songs, Op. 1 (1897–1913; includes "Giv mig ej glans, ej guld, ej prakt")
- Six Runeberg Songs, Op. 90 (1917)
- Hymn, Op. 21 (1896, rev. 1898)
- Songs for Mixed Chorus from the 1897 Promotional Cantata (arr. 1898)
- Finlandia Hymn (1899, arr. 1938–1940)
- Six Partsongs, Op. 18 (1893–1901)
- Jäger March (1917)
- Ainola (home)
- Aino Sibelius (wife)
- Ruth Snellman [fi] (daughter)
- Heidi Blomstedt (daughter)
- Christian Sibelius (brother)
- Aulis Blomstedt (son-in-law)
- Jussi Jalas (son-in-law)
- Jussi Snellman [fi] (son-in-law)
- Alexander Järnefelt (father-in-law)
- Elisabeth Järnefelt (mother-in-law)
- Armas Järnefelt (brother-in-law)
- Arvid Järnefelt (brother-in-law)
- Eero Järnefelt (brother-in-law)
- Kasper Järnefelt [fi] (brother-in-law)
- Helsinki Music Institute: Martin Wegelius (theory, composition)
- Mitrofan Vasiliev (violin)
- Hermann Csillag [de] (violin)
- Post-graduate studies: Albert Becker
- Robert Fuchs
- Karl Goldmark
- Toivo Kuula
- Leevi Madetoja
- Bengt de Törne [fi]
- Juhani Aho
- Aino Ackté
- Granville Bantock
- Ferruccio Busoni
- Axel Carpelan [fi] (patron)
- Olin Downes
- Ida Ekman
- Richard Faltin [fi]
- Ida Flodin [fi]
- Karl Flodin [fi]
- Akseli Gallen-Kallela
- Heikki Klemetti [fi]
- Santeri Levas (secretary)
- Erkki Melartin
- Oskar Merikanto
- Rosa Newmarch
- Abraham Ojanperä
- Selim Palmgren
- Adolf Paul
- Wilhelm Stenhammar
- Karl Wasenius [fi]
- Fabian Dahlström [fi]
- Karl Ekman [fi]
- Erik Furuhjelm [fi]
- Glenda Dawn Goss
- Cecil Gray
- Robert Layton
- Nils-Eric Ringbom [fi]
- Erik W. Tawaststjerna
- International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition
- Jean Sibelius Quartet
- Sibelius (2003 film)
- Sibelius (scorewriter)
- Sibelius Academy
- Sibelius Academy Quartet
- Sibelius Glacier
- Sibelius Hall
- Sibelius Medal
- Sibelius Monument
- Sibelius Museum
- Sibelius Piano Trio
- Sibelius Society of Finland
- 1405 Sibelius (asteroid)
- Wihuri Sibelius Prize
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/16px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png)