Newton, Rodney - Sonata Brevis

Sonata Brevis was completed in January 2003 and received its premiere at the Royal Northern College of Music on April 2nd 2003 performed by David Childs and pianist John Wilson.  The work may be considered an exercise in compression, cast in classical sonata form but lasting only five minutes.

The material is based on a sequence of twelve chromatic notes.  However, despite these notes undergoing the usual inversions and retrogrades associated with dodecaphonic technique, this is not a serial composition.  The series and its transformations are used more in the way of modes and all the harmonic and melodic material may be traced back to the original twelve-note row.

The first movement, 'Allegro Energico', is in traditional sonata form with a craggy exposition, a more lyrical second subject, a short development, a recapitulation and the briefest of codas (a mere two bars).  The second movement, 'Molto Moderato', is a chaconne and, again, is in the traditional form used by Purcell and Bach.  The third movement, 'Molto Vivace', is a very short, high-spirited rondo, lasting just one minute.