Scriabin’s first encounter with the sea occured on a holiday trip to Latvia in 1892. The experience must have left a striking impression on the young composer, who began working on the “fantasy” sonata shortly thereafter in Genoa, Italy. What he wrote became the second movement, and its evocation of the sea is easy to hear, with low triplets rumbling over a deep, quiet, but powerful undercurrent.
After encountering Paganini’s technical wizardry in an April 1830 concert, Schumann was inspired to write a series of variations and études that followed the violinist’s brilliant style. Schumann completed the op. 7 Toccata, originally entitled Étude fantastique en double-sons, around the spring of 1830, then revised and published it four years later.
The most frequently played of Beethoven’s last five piano sonatas, the op. 110 sonata was commissioned (along with opp. 109 and 111) by publisher A. M. Schlesinger in 1820. At this point in his life Beethoven had left behind troublesome lawsuits over custody of his nephew Karl, which had occupied his time from 1815–1820. With the stress of the lawsuit, Beethoven’s productivity diminished. Few prominent works appeared during those years.
Except for possibly the Adagio for Strings, no other of Samuel Barber’s works has had as stunning an impact on the American musical world as his Piano Sonata. Commisioned in the autumn of 1947 by Irving Berlin and Richard Rodgers to honor the twenty-fifth anniversary of the League of Composers, the sonata took Barber two years to complete. Although the first movement was finished quickly in December 1947, progress was interrupted by both a schedule of performances of Barber’s other works and a lack of inspiration. Almost a year had passed before Barber completed the second movement.
When I take longer trips I also look to see if the area has any places with practice rooms available for rent. As I discover more places I hope to keep this guide current. I’d also be interested in hearing about places you’re aware of, so comment below! (And smash that subscribe button, by signing up for my mailing list.)
