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Home > Kapustin, Nikolai > Sonatina

Kapustin, Nikolai : Sonatina Op.100

Work Overview

Music ID : 4986
Composition Year:2000 
Instrumentation:Piano Solo 
Genre:sonatina
Total Playing Time:3 min 50 sec
Copyright:Under Copyright Protection

Commentary (1)

Author : Yamamoto, Akihisa

Last Updated: May 2, 2020
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Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

In 2000, Kapustin completed a small, light, single-movement "easy" Sonatina, commissioned for young students attending music schools. Due to this background, the work does not feature the grandeur or virtuosic technical demands often found in Kapustin's piano compositions. Nevertheless, it firmly coexists with his uniquely developed musical world and the structural beauty of Western traditional music, which has been continuously handed down.

It is immediately apparent upon listening that the sonic aspects of the piece—melody, harmony, and rhythm—incorporate elements of jazz and popular music, which are emblematic of Kapustin. Examples include:

  • The stylish opening motif with a swing rhythm
  • Syncopation expressed through slurs
  • The walking bass found in the transition section of the exposition
  • Blue notes also present at the end of the transition section
  • The melody of the second theme incorporating triplets

On the other hand, when the piece is viewed more broadly, it becomes clear that it is constructed based on classical structures continuously handed down in Western art music. First, a lively and well-articulated first theme in G major is contrasted with a light second theme in D major, centered on the middle and upper registers. Subsequently, various materials are developed in different keys, after which the second theme is recapitulated. This structure is characteristic of a typical sonata-form composition. It should be noted that the first theme in the recapitulation is omitted, which is also a very common structure, having been adopted by composers such as Mozart and Haydn.

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