The Core Repertoire: Sonatas for Viola and Piano

Here is a list of the most commonly played sonatas for viola and piano. For more in-depth lists, check out the following links:

• Viola Sonatas in Wikipedia
• Another list at andritsch.at
• Donald McInnes' Representative List of Viola Repertoire, organized by level
  

Sonata In A Minor For Viola And Piano, D 821 (Arpeggione) By Franz Schubert (1797-1828), arranged by Ulrich Von Wrochem. D 821. Set of performance parts (includes separate pull-out viola part) for viola and piano. Urtext of the New Schubert Edition. Published by Baerenreiter-Ausgaben (German import). This sonata provides ample opportunities to bring the intimacy of the Schubertian lied into the arena of the sonata. See more info...

Sonatas for Piano and Clarinet (or Viola) op. 120, 1 and 2 (Version for Viola) By Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), edited by Monica Steegmann. Collection and set of parts for Viola and piano. Urtext edition-paper bound. 71 pages. Published by G. Henle. Brahms' two late sonatas (originally for clarinet and piano) are two of the cornerstones of the viola and piano repertoire. See more info...

Sonata By Rebecca Clarke. Arranged by Martha Schleifer. For Viola, Piano. Published by Hildegard. This late romantic work is truly one of the wonders of the viola and piano repertoire. See more info...

Sonata in F, Op. 11, No. 4 (1919) Viola and Piano. By Paul Hindemith. Schott. Softcover. 36 pages. Published by Schott. This sonata (nicknamed "11/4") is much more romantic than Hindemith's later work, and is the most performed of his works for viola and piano. Highlights include the hybrid theme and variations form which straddles the last two movements. See more info...

Sonata (Piano/Viola) By Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975). Op. 147. Viola solo single for viola solo and piano accompaniment. Published by G. Schirmer, Inc. Shostakovich's enigmatic last work, which requires a great deal of thought from both violist and pianist, especially in the building of longer musical gestures. See more info...

See the entire Core Repertoire series-in-progress.

Next in the series: more works for viola and piano.

The Core Repertoire: Viola Concertos

Here is a list of the most frequently performed viola concertos in the repertoire. Remember that in most concerto reductions, the piano part can be fiddled with to make it both more pianistic and more orchestral. In case you're looking for a more comprehensive list, consult the Wikipedia article on viola concertos.

Brandenburg Concerto No.6 (2va,pf) By Johann Sebastian Bach. Edited by Forbes. For 2 viola, piano. BWV 1051 (B-flat) arranged for two violas and piano. This reduction casts the pianist in the role of both orchestra and continuo. One of the most eloquent of the Brandenburg Concertos and requires an idiomatic sense of a Baroque orchestra's finesse and lightness. See more info...

Viola Concerto in D Major Piano Reduction. By Franz Anton Hoffmeister. Edited by N. Gertsch, J. Ronge. Viola. The Hoffmeister is another concerto for developing players at the intermediate level. Not difficult for the pianist and the Henle reduction is quite pianistic. See more info...

Viola Concerto in F Major (Piano / Viola) For Viola and Piano Reduction. By Karl Ditters Von Dittersdorf. Schott. This is one of the most frequently played concertos for developing violists. The reduction isn't terribly difficult, and only needs a few minor adjustments in order to sound more like an eighteenth-century orchestra. See more info...

Viola Concerto No. 1 in D Major By Carl Stamitz (1745-1801), edited by A. Weibezahn, N. Gertsch. Single piece and set of performance parts for Viola and piano. Urtext edition (Paper-bound). Published by G. Henle. An integral concerto in the viola repertoire, and one often played by developing violists as a transitional work between the intermediate and advanced levels. See more info...

Harold in Italy By Hector Berlioz. Arranged by Franz Liszt. For Viola, Piano. Published by Billaudot. Is it a symphony, a symphonic poem, or a concerto? Loosely based on Lord Byron's Childe Harolde, this wonderful hybrid work requires plenty of orchestral thought in order to pull off the somewhat lengthy tuttis. See more info...

Romance for Viola and Orchestra in F Major Op. 85 Piano Reduction - with Comments in English. By Max Bruch. Edited by N. Gertsch. Viola. Published by G. Henle. Some of Bruch's late-romantic writing can be a little tricky in this reduction, but ultimately a satisfying work to play. See more info...

Der Schwanendreher (1935-1936) After Old Folksongs Viola and Piano. By Paul Hindemith. Schott. This modern work is a mainstay of most violists' concerto repertory. The orchestration has a lightness of texture that is not always evident in Hindemith's piano reduction, and although mostly pianistic, you might need some minor tweaks in order to pull it off. See more info...

Viola Concerto, Op. Posth. Viola and Piano Reduction. By Bela Bartok. (Viola). Boosey and Hawkes Chamber Music. 72 pages. Published by Boosey & Hawkes. Unfinished by Bartok at his death, the viola concerto was completed by Tibor Serly. This late work requires a thorough knowledge of Bartok's unique orchestral sound. See more info...

Concerto For Viola and Orchestra Edited by Christopher Wellington, composed by William Walton (1902-1983). Set of performance parts for solo viola and piano accompaniment. 59 pages. Published by Oxford University Press. This is another of the most popular 20th-century viola concertos. This concerto demands a fair amount of practice and rehearsal but rewards the time spent. Take time to listen to orchestral recordings so you can capture the grandeur and humor of Walton's orchestration. See more info...

The Core Repertoire: More Works for Violin and Piano

Here is the next installment in the ongoing Core Repertoire series, with more commonly played works for violin and piano that should be an important part of any collaborative pianist's repertoire.

Chaconne in G minor By Tommaso Antonio Vitali (1663-1745), edited by Leopold Charlier, Zino Francescatti. Although this edition is hardly historically accurate, the piano part is quite playable in this staple of young violinists. See more info...

Introduction And Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28 - Piano / Violin By Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921), arranged by Henry Schradieck. Another work that nearly every violin student plays. Make sure you hold the tempo in the Rondo theme. You'll need to figure out a way to play the repeated sixteenths in the tuttis--do you play what's written in the reduction or do you change it? See more info...

Carmen Fantasy, Opus 25 (after Bizet's Opera) By Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908), edited by Zino Francescatti. Featuring themes from Bizet's Carmen, you'll need to keep your eyes on the violin part to follow the soloist in this virtuosic piece. See more info...

Zigeunerweisen - 'Gypsy Aire', Op. 20 - Violin/Piano By Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908), arranged by Philipp Mittell. Sarasate's piano parts are generally quite simple and often sight-readable. The challenge lies in knowing the violin part enough to follow the twists and turns of the soloist's tempi--Zigeunerweisen is a prime example. See more info...

Romanza Andaluza, Op. 22 No. 1 (FRANCESCATTI) By Pablo de Sarasate. Another well-known work of Sarasate. See more info...

The Fritz Kreisler Collection Arranged by Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962). The Praeludium and Allegro might be the most often played work of Kreisler, but there are plenty of other works that show up frequently in the repertoire in this volume, such as Liebesfreud and the Variations on a Theme of Corelli. See more info...

Selections From Porgy And Bess Transcribed by Jascha Heifetz, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, music by George Gershwin (1898-1937). Many people don't know that Heifetz was actually a very accomplished pianist, and these works are no picnic to learn. However, Heifetz is able to bring a level of excitement in the ensemble that makes these pieces a pleasure to play and rewards the practice and rehearsal time needed to prepare them. See more info...

The Core Repertoire: Sonatas for Violin and Piano

Here is a list of the most frequently played sonatas for violin and piano. Both violinists and pianists need to know that the piano part is not an accompaniment in any sense of the word in this repertoire, but equal partners. Often the piano part in a sonata is much more difficult than the violin part (ie. the Strauss).

Sonatas for Piano and Violin, volume I (The Kurfursten Sonatas Op. I - Revised Edition) By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), edited by W. D. Seiffert. Take a look at the title page and you'll see that these are "Sonaten für Klavier und Violine"--yes, the piano is listed first, since the violin sonata as we know it grew out of the mid 18th-century genre of the keyboard sonata with violin obbligato. (HL.51480077) See also Volume II, Volume III

Sonatas for Piano and Violin - Volume I By Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), edited by Sieghard Brandenburg. These sonatas are at the heart of the repertoire for violin and piano and show up all the time on recital programs and audition lists. (HL.51480007) See also Volume II

Robert Schumann: Sonata for Piano and Violin A minor op. 105 By Robert Schumann. Edited by W. Haug-Freienstein. One of Schumann's most successful sonatas, and one in which he weds the German sonata tradition with the emerging style of the character piece. Plenty of technical demands, but tremendously satisfying once they are mastered. (51480428) See more info...

Sonatas for Piano and Violin By Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), edited by H. O. Hiekel. These three sonatas and the shorter Sonatensatz are all necessary material for any pianist that wants to specialize in the string repertoire. (HL.51480194) See more info...

Anton Dvorak: Sonatina for Piano and Violin G major op. 100 For Violin and Piano. By Antonin Dvorak. Edited by S. Gerlach, Z. Pilkova. This charming Sonatina by Dvorak is often a young violinist's first venture into the sonata repertoire and is also a good introduction to chamber playing for pianists. (51480413) See more info...

Sonata for Piano and Violin A major By Cesar Auguste Franck (1822-1890), edited by Monica Steegmann. Are you a finger-repeater or a finger-changer when it comes to quick repeated notes? You'll have to decide as you learn the treacherous second movement in one of the most eloquent and frequently played violin sonatas. (HL.51480293) See more info...

Violin Sonata No. 3 By Edvard Grieg (1843-1907). Opus 45. C Minor. Another sonata that is played frequently in recital. (PE.P02414) See more info...

Violin Sonata No.1 By Gabriel Faure. Edited by Howat. This wonderful French sonata is a cornerstone of the major recital repertoire and repays the hard work needed to learn it. (P07487) See more info...

Sonata for Violin and Piano By Claude Debussy (1862-1918), edited by E. G. Heinemann. This enigmztic late work by Debussy requires a beautiful tone, a mature sense of rhythm, and plenty of rehearsal. (HL.51480410) See more info...

Sonate (Sonata) for Violin and Piano By Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). Another great French sonata with some astonishing sounds and textures. Have fun with the Tempo di blues in the second movement. (HL.50561674) See more info...

Violin Sonata, Op. 18, E flat Major By Richard Strauss. This sonata is often chosen by students who want a larger work on their program that is not too difficult. Watch out for the piano part--this is one of the most difficult and spectacular works for piano in the repertoire and requires months of work to master. (UE001047) See more info...

Violin Sonata Sonata per violino e piano. By Leos Janacek. This sonata is not one of the more frequently played in the repertoire, but it is useful to know anyway and is one of my all-time favorites. (UE017542) See more info...

Sonata in D Major, Opus 94bis (for Violin and Piano) By Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953), edited by David Oistrakh. Originally a flute sonata, we have David Oistrakh to thank for convincing Prokofiev to arrange this wonderful sonata for violin and piano. (IM.1588) See more info...

Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 134 By Dmitri Shostakovich. This difficult sonata is neither easy nor accessible, but packs a huge punch in recital, especially in the uncompromising second movement. (50484229) See more info...