Composer’s Note:

Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano was written during the Spring of 1988, and first performed in the Spring of 1989 at a concert presented by the Arizona Composers Forum in Tucson, AZ Performers for the premiere were Ronald Whaley, violin, and Kathy Rood, piano.

Between the years of 1985-1991, I was writing in a style which can best be termed Neoclassical. The rhythm is flowing and the harmony is rather diatonic. The music moves in long sections, usually articulated only in the middle. I consider the music to be quite lyrical and expressive, however, the real key to the music is motion and momentum. The music moves in multiple waves, ebbing back and forth like the flowing of water.

Sonata No. 2is probably the most Neoclassical of the period, originally being a suite of Baroque dances. I later shortened the work and modeled it more upon a traditional sonata. The work opens with a graceful and lyrical waltz. This is followed by a stately and somewhat haunting Sarabande. The set is concluded by a rousing Country Dance. The work runs just short of fifteen minutes.