Sonata

I cast my Viola Sonata in four movements, deriving the thematic material of the entire sonata from the opening measures. The turbulent first movement is a variant of sonata form in which a new theme, a sinister trumpet-call that first appears in the piano, heralds the beginning of the development section. The second movement is a lilting siciliana. The third movement is a somber funeral procession above which the viola sings a lament. In the finale, a sonata rondo in which themes from previous movements are varied upon return, the music hurtles forward inexorably towards a brusque, dismissive final.

Byron Adams