Sonata for Solo Viola, Op. 25 No. 1

E781330

Sonata for Solo Viola, Op. 25 No. 1 is a pioneering 1922 work for unaccompanied viola by Paul Hindemith, noted for its virtuosic demands, modernist language, and central place in the solo viola repertoire.

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Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf musical composition
solo instrumental work
viola sonata
catalogInComposerOeuvre early major work for Hindemith’s own instrument
catalogNumber Schott ED edition (various numbers)
centralInstrumentRepertoire solo viola repertoire
composer Paul Hindemith NERFINISHED
composerRole written by Hindemith, who was himself a violist
countryOfOrigin Germany
dedicatedTo no known formal dedicatee
difficulty advanced professional level
educationalUse used in conservatory-level viola training
firstPublicationDate 1920s
genre modernist classical music
hasISMN various ISMN identifiers for different editions
historicalContext composed in early Weimar Republic era
influenced later 20th-century solo viola compositions
instrumentation solo viola
key unaccompanied (no fixed key for entire work)
languageOfTempoMarkings German
movement I. Breit. Viertel = 63
II. Sehr frisch und straff
III. Sehr langsam
IV. Rasendes Zeitmaß. Wild. Tonschönheit ist Nebensache
V. Langsam. Mit viel Ausdruck
movementCount 5
notableFor modernist musical language
pioneering role in solo viola repertoire
virtuosic technical demands
opusNumber Op. 25 No. 1
partOf Hindemith’s series of viola sonatas
performancePractice frequently recorded by leading violists
often performed in viola recitals
premierePerformer Paul Hindemith NERFINISHED
publisher Schott Music NERFINISHED
relatedWorkByComposer Sonata for Solo Viola, 1922 (other solo viola works) NERFINISHED
Sonata for Solo Viola, Op. 25 No. 3 NERFINISHED
Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 11 No. 4 NERFINISHED
rights public domain in many countries
stylePeriod 20th-century classical music
techniqueFeature complex rhythms
extensive double stops
use of chords on the viola
use of dissonant intervals
wide leaps
tempoIndicationCharacteristic expressive German verbal directions
typicalDuration approximately 15 minutes
yearComposed 1922

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Paul Hindemith notableWork Sonata for Solo Viola, Op. 25 No. 1