Composition History

In the winter of 1912, Scriabin simultaneously began work on Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 9, and 10, completing No. 10 in the spring of 1913. The score was published in September 1913 and premiered alongside No. 9 at a Scriabin recital held on December 12 (Old Style) / 25 (New Style), 1913. Leonid Sabaneev, a composer, critic, and musicologist known as a close friend of the composer in his later years, stated that Scriabin had a strong affection for this piece. In his 1925 Reminiscences of Scriabin, he recalled, "In the spring [of 1913], he frequently played fragments of Sonata No. 10 and No. 8, which was then nearing completion."

Sabaneev also contributed an essay to the weekly magazine Muzyka (Music), published in Moscow at the end of October 1913, more than a month before the premiere. In it, he provided a discourse and brief analysis of the three sonatas from No. 8 onwards, including the present work. These statements were likely based on direct interviews with Scriabin himself regarding the musical content and probably received some degree of supervision for their description, also serving as promotion for Scriabin's works ahead of the upcoming recital. In this essay, the author conveyed the appealing aspects of No. 10 to readers, such as the clarity of its harmonic texture and a brilliant radiance reminiscent of Piano Sonata No. 4, written a decade earlier, predicting that it would become a popular work in later years. As Sabaneev perceived, among the late sonatas from No. 6 onwards, this work stands out for its consonant sonorities, and the relationship between melody and accompaniment is easily discernible, making it an approachable piece. However, sounding simple does not mean it is simply written. The simplicity of its sonorities and harmonic organization stems from Scriabin's mastery of the techniques central to his late works, representing a step forward from their previous strictness.

Furthermore, due to the prominent trill motif throughout the piece, it became known posthumously (primarily outside Russia) as the "Trill Sonata." It also acquired the nickname "Insect Sonata" because of Scriabin's self-description, quoted in Sabaneev's aforementioned reminiscences and subsequently in Bowers' famous biography: "Insects, butterflies, moths are colors brought to life. It is a very delicate caress, almost untouched... They are born of the sun, and the sun nurtures them... It is the sun's caress, closest to me. This is what is found in Sonata No. 10. It is a sonata made entirely of insects."

Content

As is common in Scriabin's late sonatas, the piece lacks a key signature and is constructed according to Scriabin's unique harmonic theory, transcending the boundaries of tonality. Nevertheless, it adopts the traditional structure of a sonata form with an introduction.

The slow introduction is centered on two main sections. The first is characterized by a quiet, thin texture, marked "très doux et pur" (very sweet and pure). The second, following it, is marked "avec une ardeur profonde et voilée" (with a deep and veiled ardor), and is centered on chromatic contrary motion between the melody and accompaniment. These elements are frequently used throughout the piece after the exposition, becoming one of the important foundational elements of the work. When a motif of an ascending third plus a trill, marked "lumineux vibrant" (brilliantly vibrating), is played three times, the piece transitions to the Allegro exposition (according to Sabaneev's reminiscences, Scriabin particularly favored this section).

The first theme, presented at the beginning of the exposition, is dynamic, featuring a chromatically descending melody and an accompaniment of rapid arpeggiated chords. The second theme, beginning at measure 71, is a basic unit combining an introductory trill with a seemingly floating melodic line and tremolo. This tremolo is played in a higher register than the main melody, lending brilliance to the piece.

The development section (measures 116–223), which follows a somewhat relaxed codetta, is broadly divided into three parts. The first part begins calmly but gradually increases in intensity, with persistently repeated chromatic ascents that are a development of the second motif from the introduction, leading the listener towards exhilaration. The second part begins at measure 158. The motif of the first theme is restlessly repeated, gradually subsiding. From measure 184, the second section of the introduction is repeatedly transformed with increasing intensity, leading to a dazzling climax marked by tremolos.

The recapitulation is essentially a conventional restatement of the two themes in sonata form, but it is embellished with trills and tremolos, preserving the brilliance of the recapitulation. The coda, beginning at measure 306, is extremely light and airy, as indicated by the marking "frémissant, ailé" (trembling, winged). It gradually increases in tempo, reaching a Presto, but then rapidly loses momentum, concluding quietly with the first motif of the introduction, "avec une douce langueur de plus en plus éteinte" (with a sweet languor gradually fading away).