Gabriel Fauré:Violin Sonata No.2 in e minor, Op.108

First Edition: 2000-10-26

Last Updated:

1. Popularity about Fauré's Violin Sonata No. 2

There are more than 20 kinds of Fauré's First Violin Sonata.
The number of kinds of his 2nd sonata are half of sonata No.1
What's the popularity ?(sweetness, brightness, smartness)
People usually feel about 2nd sonata's feature: minor (key:e), too complex, too difficult to understand.
What is "to understand" ?
2nd sonata has profoundness and wideness.
This work has a framework. "from unstable to stable, from chaos to orderness"

2. First Movement

First unison theme by piano is unstable as if without beat. Subsquently violon leads the first theme with many syncopated rhythms. We will be surprised that the composer is the same that the melodic violin sonata No.1 .

The amazement continues. The modulations often occur with enharmonic, and takt varies from 9/8 to 12/8. Violin and piano communicate with canon, at bar 179.

First movement, First 7 bars
First movement, Second theme

3. Second Movement

3/4 time, Andante. First, melody by violin moves around in E, and accompaniment by piano continues A. Both of mismatch rises strange charms.

Second theme is abundant in enharmonic. His technique of modulation appears.

First Theme of Second Movement
Second Theme of Second Movement

4. Third Movement

This movement, formed in rondo, has three themes, and so called "Cyclic form". since two themes of first movement appear in this movement.

First Theme of Third Movement
Interuption by First Theme of First Movement ( Attent to bass line!)
Recapitulation of Second Theme of First Movement

Marinkyo's School > Fauré's Room > Fauré : Second Violin Sonata

MARUYAMA Satosi