Sonatina No. 2 in G Major

Hi everyone!

This is my second complete sonatina in three movements:

• I. Moderato – A simplified sonata form movement that was inspired by an idea from the second movement of Beethoven's Sonata No. 1 in F minor.

• II. Larghetto – A gentle piece in ternary form that is by far my favorite movement in this sonatina. It is very simple in nature, but I think it fits nicely as a breath of fresh air between the faster movements.

• III. Andantino – A variant in rondo form that explores both the traditional feel of the first movement and the more lyrical texture of the second.Sonatina No. 2.pdf

YouTube link

Timestamps:

00:00 I Movement

02:18 II Movement

03:15 III Movement

Thank you for giving me your time and valuable feedback like always!

Hello @MinGry,

I really enjoyed your piece, and I love the amount of thought you put into its design! It even gives me some inspiration for my next sonatina! I’ll focus on the first movement right now, since it’s the most important, and I think it also shows the most room for improvement.

Score formatting:

• The movements should be formatted into separate flows.

• When a hairpin follows a dynamic marking, the two should typically be on the same level. Also it’s easier for performers to read when they are between the two staves. Most of the time these guidelines are followed, but there were a few points that could be slightly cleaner (for example, ms. 22, 32-33, 43).

• The triple-forte in m.66 is probably excessive in a sonata—fortissimo will suffice!

Compositional elements:

• I must admit, my first general impression of the piece was that I couldn’t tell if I was hearing neoclassicism, or bad counterpoint. I settled on the latter by the end of the movement, and more so by the end of the second movement — though I think you could set the scene earlier so the listener doesn’t have to guess. You could be a little bolder in your dissonances in this part, using a few more sonorities that can’t be reduced to triads or incomplete triads.

• The main figure for the transition (m.9) gave me a little bit of trouble, for two reasons. First, it contains a lot of internal rhythmic contrast, more than I’d expect in a transitional theme. Second, I didn’t hear how it connected either to the primary or secondary themes — it just sounds a bit out of place. I then observed that it could be derived from the figure in bars 6-7:

  

But I think the link could be made stronger, and more audible, by slightly modifying the figure’s metrical position. One possible solution for m.9:

I would also personally omit bar 11, as I don’t think it’s really necessary.

My favorite part of the movement was the secondary theme, and I also liked how it was introduced first in the bass! Moving onto the mini-development, I wasn’t initially convinced by the figure in bars 24-25, though I find it creative how it connects to the coda, and to the accompaniment of the secondary theme. To give it more interest, I’d suggest consistently omitting the first eighth note when it occurs in the right hand, as you did in bars 24-25. It also leads more naturally to its target note that way.

Overall, really good work! I have much less to say about the other two movements, because I think they’re pretty strong.

Edited 16 minutes ago16 min by CrystalCanon