A short Sonata in D Major for Cembalo

This is a rather short and concise exercise in writing a sonata for cembalo that is playable even for me. It started with a minuet I wrote for a wedding; some improvising on the piano generated the idea for the allegro, and then only a slow movement was missing to have a three movement sonata, a basic structure popular in the 18th century.

The allegro flows happily in 6/8, composed in sonata form; the reprise is slightly shortened so it is not too tedious, but also to have a balanced feel (Exposition: 32 bars; development + reprise 36 bars).

The andante (binary form) provides some contrast by starting out in d minor, modulating to a minor and going back via g minor and F Major to d minor.

The concluding minuet returns to more joyful music with a lively dialogue of left and right hand.

I am considering adding a fast rondo, or composing another sonata concluding with a rondo; not sure about that.

Hi @Willibald!

I like the jovial mood for the 1st and 3rd mov minuets. Maybe you can end the Sonata with a Rondeau?

Henry

Thanks, @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu, for your kind words. I took up your suggestion and tried to compose a fitting end for this set. So without further ado: a draft for a fast-paced 2/4-Presto with the basic structure |: A :| b1 b2 b3 |: A : |: c1 : | c2 |: A :| 

The audio file needs some polishing. Any comments welcome.

Hi @Willibald!

I just check out the 4th movement and it’s a lively nice rondo, I like your B minor episode inviting some contrast. Thx for your update!

Henry

Congratulations for this enjoyable and galant short sonata! It is nice to see such an easy and playable piece which comprises compositional skills to let it sound in the mood of the late Baroque era.

Allegro

An easy to play but clearly structured sonata form movement!

I especially liked the phrases with the syncopated, perhaps staccato eighth notes in the second theme in bars 17-18 and 21-22. To make this second theme even more colorful and to avoid the tendency of repetition, I would try to vary bars 13, 15, 19 and 23 slightly, for example by introducing more counter-movement between the voices, at least in some of the repetitions.

Might be that the finale could be made a little more elaborated, for example by creating two variants for the last few bars, so that in the repetition there could be some more ornamentation when reaching the final chord.

Some aspects regarding the playability and “aesthetics” of the score. Measure 31 should be moved to the first page to avoid turning the page, which is only necessary for one measure here, and I would try to balance the distribution of measures between the staves so that the last staff does not appear so stretched out.

Andante

Serious, with slow rhythm, but also with a dancing character, perhaps an Allemande.

I would avoid the octaves between bass and treble in bar 4, third beat and bar 5, first beat. Perhaps the bass could be in mm. 4-5 as | D E A Bb | F C# D F |. The same in bar 13, first beat (G instead D).

Minuet

The minuet is another superb example how an easy piece can be expressive and full of character. I love the articulation and ornamentation which unmistakably emphasize the dance-like character of the minuet.

By the way, I think I have recognized some more or different ornamentations in the recording than in the score, for example in the repetition of bars 7 and 15 of the minuet and the repetition of bars 4 and 6 of the trio. Is it a live recording or, if not, did you have to realize all that ornamentations in your notation software „by hand“ to achieve that realistic effect and the distinction between the different occurrences of the section due to the repetitions?

I ask this because I do the same thing when writing a score, having a „print“ score and a „midi“ score achieved through „if-else“s in the same Lilypond source code. (Yes, I have seen in your profile that you are one of the few composers who also use Lilypond ...)

Rondo

At the end the fun, the fast rondo.

Here, I would assume that this is not a live recording, which would bring to the piece the intended lightness and elegance with more soulful phrasing - that the composition undoubtedly contains.

When reading the score, I was initially somewhat confused because I could not see the upbeat note that introduces each next phrase. Therefore, I would divide the two eighth notes at the end of measures 4, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33, 37, and 61 into separated ones that are not connected by a beam.