PIANO SONATA, 1948 by GEORGE ANTHEIL MY FOURTH PIANO SONATA Although "sonatas" are usually classed as chamber music, the modern piano sonata is, | believe, an exception, it ie invariably more demanding than the medarn vil Sonata, or any other combination of plano and stringed ar wind instrument. This is ci ult 10 understand. as viclin piano sonatas, in particular, are invariably” pla¥ ‘ott accomplished players, eapable of the utmost virtuosity in solving techn ‘Yet, » vielinpiane Sonata which is (00 demanding invariably makes the impression of Violin’ concerta reduced, unhappily, for a chamber concert sage upon which i does not Tightly belong (On the other hand, the meder piano sonata, from Chopin-Liset onwards, very often approaches the piano concerto medium its material, perhaps, is a little more weighty than the piano concerto, yor it ie eerentialy. cemanding, exploring the hms of the tmedern keyb29°d, a3 well ab the limits of the composer's vention in the purely musical ene. It if my hope, therefore, that my Fourth Piano Sonata fully this dificult require Aesthetically, the work represents the fusing together of many of the elements of my eatlier music together with tat of the recent symphonies, particularly the Third, Fourth, Fifth ard Sixth Symphonies. Although | hope that my misieal exprersion has many sides (for | believe thet the composer of today must attempt at leash, #0 found Out fis musical expression, and not be a composer of one or two moods, oF of & system, oF of toma single new styie which then, ail 100 often, quickly passer out of style\ stil, Undoubtedly, one of the elements of my expression which is mest aften commented upon is'that it has the iran ring of medemn civilization: the sound of this kindof tausie=— tahien I've expressed at early a= my Ballet Mecanique in 1923—-may be heard again iv the first, and particularly the last movements of this sonata, The furious, sometime Ui, sometimes horrific: march of moder civilization may, | think, be heard in these movements. It has also been pointed out by several eminent crities, that my musie has 2 nvong tatirical and ironic sense: in the first movement of this sonats one may hear, it one thocses, a certain gleetul burlesquing ef a Chopinesque passage, or » caricature ‘f tomething whieh has umnused me in the past: thece passages are fleeting, but, | hope, ‘olerful ‘The middle movement is conceived as » siow movement to contrast with the two outer movements whieh are rather agaressive, But it is more than that: it i also the ‘exprestion of a neo-romanticigm which, in this age of steel, | feel to be more and more apart of the dreams and ideals of the world which threatens fo become submerged in Grim reality. |_wanted to endow this movement with a sense of personal tragedy-—ard Fomance tos, In'works out s new sort of lyrciam which | hope will be expressive of this som of humanity, and even tenderness. Formally, the first movement is strictly sonata-allegra, with a well-defined first theme, second theme, development section, and rather foreshortened. recapitulation Commencing with several steely Introductory chords (which signal the whole mood of {he sonata to come) it plunges immediately info a gleeful fist theme, not unrelated to— but stro not derived from the whole world of Chepin- Liszt, to whieh our entire madern plane literature must make some bow. at one time or another” The mood of the frst theme is sobvical The second theme, on the other hand, is ivtical and expressive of the rrodorn age, its pottry, ite longing. The developmant is rather extended, and goer the Gamat of “ferace™ expression. The recapitulation, ariving at the end of a iong dramatic Reransition, is short | ike my reeaprulationt to be sumUps, rather than’ extended The second movement 1s not strictly any form, although, in its ong retransition to the first theme lat the and cf the movement) it seems to have been intended cust Sonatecllegra movement. It is, more accurately, a. sonal to songeiorm, but with Gevelopment in ite central section. Like the sonstacaliegro form, Me “exposition”, or "A" Section has two themes, the second thems having ‘tinitely the character of such, Yet {here Is ne teal development section, or transition to itt develepment commences aimest fom the beginning of the movement, My main objective, herein, was to present 2 series ob iong wellauned out Iya! lines which pressed on snd on to the “recapitulation” ‘The thied movement is eszentialy 9 toccs nti! Ihe inevitable enc, 2) 2 thythm is estabished and retained The movements are: Allegre gioceso, Andante, Vive. The 4th Piano Sonate was. specifically we first performance at Carnegie Hall Vira thomson, ten for Frederick Marvin, who gave its 1948, "and it 8 dedicated 10 my lifelong fiend, GEORGE ANTHERL (Recorded by Frederick Marvin on ALCO LP #1107)10 Virgil Toomon SONATA No. 4 1 George Antheil Allegro Giocoso-Ironico 2 ao > 151050 teggero ( f | | “ steel te teh a + tt be 2g ® 4. ( $e — abe 7 = Copyright. 1951, by WEINTRAUB MUSIC COMPANY, New Yoh Cin aed Male USA