Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) : Sonatina in G major, Anh. 5 No. 1, 1st movement.
Arranged for Violin and Piano by Fiona Vilnite.
This new arrangement of Beethoven’s classic Sonatina is great for intermediate violinists learning to play in 3rd position and for practising shifiting between 1st and 3rd positions in a musical context.
The original sonatina, which was composed for piano solo, was first published after Beethoven’s death. It’s youthful, almost naiive style, which is perhaps reminiscent of Franz Joseph Haydn, would seem to suggest that this is in fact one of Beethoven’s earlier compositions, though this is not proven. Indeed, its authenticity has even been questioned (as discussed in this work’s Wikipedia article).
Whatever its origins, this popular sonatina does provide an opportunity to play in a style that starts to cross from classical to romantic: its quasi double ending, for instance, does perhaps provide a faint prequel of the more epic style we have come to expect from Beethoven’s later works. Additionally, the scale passages to be played in one slur (or in one bow when played on the violin) do seem to remind us of some of the passage-work in Beethoven’s violin sonatas.
As such, this arrangement for violin and piano could be considered as an introduction to playing in the Beethoven/early romantic style, but without the technical difficulties that appear in Beethoven’s violin sonatas.
PRACTICE TIPS / QUESTIONS
- When practising, remember to work on bow distribution. This is key in many of Beethoven’s violin works.
- Ask questions, such as:
- How much bow do I need to use for the 1st note?
- Where in the bow should I start the 1st note, so that the grace note in the next bow is clear?
- How much bow do I need to use when the notes are slurred in 2s (e.g. bar 9), so that it sounds stylish and not too heavy?
- Bars 11 and 12: work out where in the bow to start the phrase and how much bow to use, so that you have enough bow left in the descending scale in bar (this is common concern in Beethoven’s violin sonatas)
- Where do phrases begin and end?
- How can I show this in performance?
Now available as a practice video on YouTube – play along and repeat as many times as needed!
The violin sheet music can be downloaded HERE.
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