Sonata For Two Pianos

Sonata For Two Pianos

The score is approximately 36 pages long and the .pdf study score is a somewhat large download at roughly 2.2 Mb.

The piece is in three movements. All are played at quarter=145 (there is no slow movement). If played in strict time (as it should be) it is approximately 17 and 1/2 minutes. In retrospect there is an element of defiance to this piece. I wrote it, in a certain sense, as an example of everything that my composition professors did not like. And it shows in the final result. There are some worth-while ideas in it, but it goes overboard.

The first movement is a perpetual motion in F major. The pianos are placed far apart on stage (or separated in a stereo mix if recorded). The movement is in the form of a Beethoven-rondo in perpetual motion—nothing but continuous 16th notes at a fast tempo. The unusual element is the fact that the entire piece is monophonic—only one note at a time—and aside from a few single linking notes, the two pianos never play at the same time. The effect is of a single continuous line which jumps back and forth between the pianos in a kind of call-and-response form.

The second movement (in C minor) is a theme and four variations in the style of a violent march using thick textures and massive chordal structures. The theme and variations are marked Bludgeoning, Mechanical, Brutal, Quasi-cadenza and a la polka.

The final movement (again in F major) is a lighthearted modified rondo form with coda.

Some things to note are:

• There is no movement in "sonata form". It just worked out that the most logical structures were not sonata structures.
• In fact all movements are in tempo Giusto, quarter-note = 145. Contrast is achieved with texture, rather than tempo.
• The piece is aggressively tonal and melody-based.