Selected and reviewed by ANDREW EALES
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The sonatina has an important history within the piano literature, with famous examples by Beethoven, Clementi, Kuhlau, and others giving players an early introduction to the rewards of playing a multiple movement work within the aesthetic conventions of a classical sonata.
With the Romantic and 20th century preference for shorter character pieces sporting more imaginative titles, the sonatina’s abstract narrative has been less in vogue, although the twentieth century saw notable additions by Kabalevsky, Khachaturian, Bartök, Sibelius, and Ravel.
Hal Leonard clearly hope to reestablish the genre with the publication of a superb new collection of brand new sonatinas by leading piano composers of our time: Daniel Light, Phillip Keveren, Glenda Austin, Mona Rejino, Logan Evan Thomas, Alexander Zhu, William Gillock, Wayne Bucknor, and Kevin Olson…
A Smart Collection
The Sonatina Collection is a tastefully presented collection, with an attractive cover printed on quality matt card, staple binding, and white pages within. I would naturally have preferred cream paper, which would also have suited the rich brown tones of the cover very nicely!
The notation is spaciously and well engraved, includes fingering suggestions throughout, and care has been taken to avoid cumbersome page turns. The book begins with an introduction by editor Charmaine Siagian, followed by each composer’s performance notes. Their biographies also appear at the end of the book.
Siagian writes,
“While a plethora of sonatina collections exist in the 21st century, the curating of this particular collection began because of the enduring popularity of one written by perhaps the best-known “educational” piano composer of the 20th century: William Gillock. His Sonatina, published in 1963, still feels contemporary 60 years later, and it is included alongside eight new works in an array of styles.”
This is a great concept, with the potential to uniquely add to the core piano pedagogy repertoire. Supporting these goals, the pieces appear in approximate order of difficulty, and range from early intermediate (around UK Grade 3) to early advanced (around Grade 7).
Nine Sonatinas
These works reflect an exhilarating smorgasbord of influences. To consider whether they are truly the modern day equivalent of the sonatinas of yesteryear, I have played through them all, and offer the following observations about each.
Daniel Light • Sonatina Mysteriosa
Daniel Light is a pianist and experienced teacher from Louisville, Kentucky. He tells us that this easy intermediate piece (around Grade 3) has been designed to fall easily under the hands, and sure enough, the three short movements are comfortable to play, and sound more difficult than they actually are, making this a winning choice for shining in performance.
The first movement (‘Mysteriously’) offers warm lyricism, combined with a modern vibe that evokes the harmonies of pop ballad. The second, just 16 bars long, reuses the accompaniment figurations and adapts the melody of the first to create an expressive interlude. The sonatina ends with a tarantella marked ‘spooky’, seemingly guaranteed to appeal to younger players.
Phillip Keveren • Sonatina by the Sea
Regular readers will know I am a fan of Keveren’s work (read my reviews here), which includes superb arrangements of popular, jazz and movie music as well as original pieces in a contemporary vein. Introducing this piece, he tells us:
“Sonatina by the Sea explores jazz harmonies and chord progressions as it paints pictures of seaside adventures.”
The three movements are subtitled, ‘Sailing’, ‘Floating”, and ‘Surfing’, and the pedagogic aims of each are clear. ‘Sailing’ uses simple pentascale patterns to explore the circle of fifths, while ‘Floating’ is an exercise in playing cantabile, incorporating the sustain pedal. ‘Surfing’ uses simple syncopated chords, while the LH imitates a jazz upright walking bass line.
Glenda Austin • Grand Sonatina in G
Still suitable for players at early intermediate level (moving towards Grade 4), Glenda Austin’s Grand Sonatina is a charming neo-classical pastiche, full of good-natured humour, and written with a clear intention of respecting the sonatina legacy. She writes in her performance note,
“This Sonatina serves as an introduction to the fundamentals of sonata form and its various movements. It offers student pianists an opportunity to understand and appreciate the structure of a sonata.”
The first movement is in a truncated sonata form, with three sections that might loosely be described as exposition, development, and recapitulation. The simple tonality, faux ornamentation and couplet slurs all recall the sonatinas of old.
The second movement is a minuet in the subdominant key, while the finale is a Rondo whose rollicking compound time has a more contemporary, folksy Americana vibe. I found the whole sonatina a delight to play and suspect it will prove hugely popular.
Mona Rejino • Sonatina Romantique
Moving more determinedly towards Grade 4, Mona Rejino’s sonatina enjoys a contemporary popular style, with a lyricism, harmonic twists, and gentle syncopations that remind me of the West End, or perhaps the Disney songbook.
The three movements are in, respectively, G minor, D major, and G major, again paying homage to the conventions and the tropes of the genre. And across these movements there’s an admirable cohesion, the secret of which the composer describes thus:
“All three movements of Sonatina Romantique have this in common: a smooth, continuously flowing melody and forward motion. However, each movement has its own tempo and mood.”
Rejino is of course a highly experienced educational composer and arranger (read my reviews here), and her pedigree shines. Undoubtedly a highlight of the collection, this sonatina is truly a gem.
Logan Evan Thomas • Circadia
Thomas, another composer whose name is new to me, is the winner of various jazz piano competitions, who has worked with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Halsey. His background as a top jazzer certainly shows, but makes the level of Circadia more difficult to pin down.
The opening syncopations initially threw me, and the following two movements offer equally unexpected moments. Once cracked, the piece would suit a later intermediate player (around Grade 5), but listening to the composer’s performance with score in hand is strongly advised.
The composer explains,
“‘Circadia’ is a state of flow, a conversation amongst the light, the dark, and the in-between: each phase of its life cycle has its own personality. The two hands act as the ebb and flow between contrast and congruence.”
I’m not sure this description will be meaningful to younger players, but I think it’s to the publisher’s credit that they have approached the concept of the sonatina from such a variety of angles, allowing each composer to view the genre through their own lens. Circadia proves to be an extraordinary work, and certainly rewards effort.
Alexander Zhu • Petrichor
Zhu has performed solo recitals, concerti, chamber, pop, fusion, and film music across the USA, Europe and China, and his work as a composer and producer appears in Disney+, Netflix and TF1 shows. Given his diverse and impressive background, it comes as no surprise that his sonatina Petrichor adds another distinctive flavour to The Sonatina Collection.
As the composer himself tells us,
“Petrichor blends my moody, melancholy film music style with the classical structure of a sonatina.”
Written in an ambient, impressionistic style, the work’s three movements are titled ‘about the rain’, ‘distant thunder’, and ‘fast-moving clouds’. Common themes, motifs, and patterns appear across all three, and this is an emotive work which will appeal to lovers of the contemporary soundtrack style.
William Gillock • Sonatine
And here it is! If the 41 miniatures in my three volumes of Graded Gillock have reminded UK teachers and players of the enormous variety and scope of America’s greatest educational composer, his Sonatine from 1963 superbly demonstrates his gift for writing more extended pieces.
It is no wonder that the work remains so popular with American learners, and serves as the inspiration for all the others presented in this collection. As Glenda Austin writes in her special performance notes for the piece,
“Sonatine represents a notable departure from the sound of much of his work. It highlights his exceptional talent as a composer and has an edgy quality (perhaps influenced by Kabalevsky?) and is in stark contrast to his usually lyrical and beautiful melodies.”
In the opening movement, Gillock bends sonata form to his purposes to deliver a movement which is as artistically satisfying as any 20th century sonatina opening, while the languorous slow movement couples a lilting compound time lullaby with a steadily evolving melody. The rhythmic intensity of the finale leads to a resounding conclusion to this outstanding work.
Austin movingly enthuses,
“Having had the privilege of knowing Bill, I was fortunate to play this piece many times during workshops he conducted. I clearly remember how proud he was of the piece. It showcased his exceptional talent as a composer, and I am certain he is smiling today, amazed that his music continues to resonate throughout the world.”
Wayne Bucknor • Gospel Sonatina
Wayne Bucknor’s enjoyable Gospel Sonatina, suitable at early advanced level (around Grade 6), is based on the African American spiritual, each of the three movements a rhapsodic arrangement of a beloved melody. Adding structural cohesion, the keys form an arch:
I. Wade in the Water (D minor)
II. Go Down Moses (F minor, F major)
III. Joshua Fit the Battle (D minor)
Here again we find plenty of educational content. The first movement uses the blues scale, chord substitutions, and swing rhythms. The latter appear in the finale, which also introduces a walking bass, while the middle movement should be played “with much rubato and expression” to underline the powerful drama.
Kevin Olson • Sonatina Ritmica
Kevin Olsen’s stunning River Rhythms jazz suite is an old favourite in my studio, and his Sonatina Ritmica channels the same excitement from the first bar to the last. The composer rather perfectly describes it as,
“…a dynamic exploration of rhythm and expression, designed to challenge and engage advancing pianists.”
The overall vibe is strongly reminiscent of Copland’s Americana, with cross-rhythms propelled by time signature changes, and coloured with raw, occasionally polytonal harmony. Pulsating perfect fourth quaver patters dominate throughout, and while the central movement is less hurried, there’ never any real let up here.
I think that the infectious excitement of the work is going to bring smiles to a great many faces: what a conclusion!
Closing Thoughts
According to Hal Leonard, The Sonatina Collection delivers:
“A stunning new collection of piano sonatinas by nine composers in diverse and exhilarating styles, from romantic to classical, playful to mysterious, jazz-tinged to familiar gospel. All are suitable for lessons, recitals, and performances.”
Having considered each of these works in turn, I have to conclude that the hype barely does justice to what is a truly exceptional publication. But to help you decide whether The Sonatina Collection is for you, I recommend watching this video playlist featuring several of the works performed by their composers:
I rarely discover a new music collection which has such ambitious pedagogic intent, combined with musical quality of this order.
The more time that I have spent playing these original contemporary works, the more certain I have become that this is a significant publication, and one which belongs in the collection of all late intermediate players and their teachers. Don’t miss it.
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