Hello all ,

Just wanted to know if you have any reccomendations on a Sonata for Piano and Violin , standarad ranges between Grade 8 and Diploma.
I really want to play one , since I've recently met a very very talented violinist.

Thanks in advance...

Mozart did a really nice Sonata for Violin and Piano, K304, K300c. It's not the standard you're after, but needs a skilled player to make it sound nice...

Yes , I've heard them of course

"Mozart , too easy for begginers , too hard for professionals"

Mozart is a swine to get together: it's real chamber music, as the piano plays a very important role; remember Mozart called them 'Sonatas for Piano and Violin'. How good a violinist do you have access to?

Well , she's really good , passed Dip-ABRSM with distintion and currenlty preparing for LRSM.

There is a big repertiore in this!

My favourite ones are:

Brahms - op.100 in A major
Beethoven - "Spring"
Franck - Sonata

There are many smaller pieces which carry the equal importance in piano and violin...

Enjoy playing!

I heard these performed at a concert last year and they are both very impressive. I love the Beethoven but still think that the Franck would take quite a few listens to appreciate fully.

If you can find a tame cellist too you could play Chopin's trio.

Mozart has to be K454

Beethoven op 30 no 2 (for a change from Spring which is done to death), if you're really brave try the Kreutzer (ahem!)

Agree the Franck is lovely but really tricky for the pianist

Brahms op 78 (no 1) is really wonderful and less often played than no 3

Schumann, Strauss, oohh and the Bax, nobody ever does these and its a real shame. Oh there's absolutely loads. Ask your violinist to suggest some!



Or the Shosti no 2!!! (need a *very* tame cellist for that one!)

Working on K481 at the moment, it's quite fun. Some of the variations do have rather fiddly piano parts though....



I'm doing the whole Franck next year to accompany someone's violin FTCL - I've tackled the final movement already (played it with andante_in_c at Leicester), leaving the first three. After that, I might learn a piano concerto for some light relief .

I play lots of Piano/Violin Sonatas with my daughter.

I agree the 'Spring' (No 5) by Beethoven is played a lot, but would make a good start, however I would also try nos 1 ,4 or 6 which are not so well known.

I would steer clear of the Mozart ones, these have a more dominant piano part, sometimes the violin writing is more of an accompaniment to he piano. If you have to try no 8 in C.

All the three Brahms Sonatas are worth playing, I prefer the third in D Minor, I would also reccommend the third Grieg Sonata in C Minor. These are more difficult than the Beethoven, as is the Franck (I confess I have difficulty with the second movement!)
Then the Dvorak Sonatina Op100 is delight and realtively easy to master.

If you want some shorter pieces, try the famous Meditation for Thais by Massanet, or the 'Four Romantic Pieces' by Dvorak. His Serenade in F Minor, can also be played on piano as well as orchstra.
Do not forget 'The Lark Ascending' by Vaughan Willy.

Ooooh good suggestion, Dina, this piece is LOVELY, and you'd have no problems with it - it's probably on the easy side of the scale for you both, but I'm sure you'd have fun playing it and it would be a nice piece to have as "light relief" and something that wouldn't give you much technical trouble.

Thank you for your replies everyone!

What about Beethoven's Romance in F? I've got a very good violinist friend too and we had a go at this a couple of years ago. My part was a reduction of the orchestral part, and there are reasonable chunks for the piano on its own. This is probably not as difficult as some of the other suggeations, but is a lovely piece of music.

Prokofiev is apparently not so bad. Beethoven 4 or 2. No reason to avoid Mozart - the sonatas are actually pretty even between violin and piano. Personally I dislike Brahms but that's just personal. There are a few good Bloch pieces (about 8?) for violin and piano. They're not even, but the piano parts are interesting.

I am actually searching for something in which the piano plays a vital role , not just accompaniment.

I did a piano / violin recital in university. We did the Beethoven Spring Sonata (lovely), Vitali Chaconne in Gminor (i think - it's lovely but a b£$% to get together) and some Malcom Arnold stuff. Also some good things are Bartok's Hungarian Dances, Elgar (quite easy).

Hope this helps!
I'm marrying a violinist who's professional and I'm a pianist who's fairly amateur. So much fun trying to play stuff together!

Then almost anything preceeded by the word 'sonata' should do the job.

Do take a look at Beethoven's Romances - Opus 40 and Opus 50, for violin and piano, Edition Peters
(no. 3393c). I may have implied in my earlier post that these were quite easy; on second thoughts they are actually not - for either person! Certainly post-Grade 8. The girl that I play with has two performance diplomas (I have one!) and we found these tough enough - and the piano part does play a very vital role. We have also performed "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba", for violin and piano - I played the piano part on the organ - and it was a roaring success. The piano/organ doesn't get to play solo much, but plays an important part, none-the-less. I can't find my copy of this to tell you the publisher, etc, but will edit this if I come across it. But, really - I reckon the Beethoven Romances could be just the type of thing you're looking for. Do let us know what you decide to play - it could be worth thinking about for myself and friend too!

Further to my earlier post, I have just visited my daughter ofr a couple of days (we are 200 mile apart) nand we played four complete Beethoven sonatas, Nos 1 4,5 (Spring), and 6. All would be suitable for you and have a decent piano part. The Spring is the most well known, but I still like No 6 Op30 No 1

Beethoven Op 12 No. 1

Try the Franck Sonata - that's gorgeous!

............if your pianist can really master the second movement. I certainly cant!

............if you certainly can't then I certainly can't too!

I suppose it has been composed for VERY large hands...

Then , I'm certainly not the perfect pianist to play it at all!


*Looks at hands pathetically*

Anyway, what's wrong with learning minatures?