Music for violin & piano

Abstract

It is unclear exactly when Bax wrote his second Violin Sonata, though the revision date of 1921 is definite. Certainly some of the thematic material was developed during the 1910 Ukraine trip and its immediate aftermath. But the real writing probably did not start till late in 1916, by which time the composer was focusing on the tragic political upheavals in his beloved Ireland.

Written in three linked movements, the Sonata is chiefly notable for a diabolic waltz in the central movement, entitled The Grey Dancer in the Twilight. Some analysts believe this to be the spectral figure of Death hovering over the corpse-strewn battlefields of the Great War. I believe it far more likely this is representative of the 'forces of oppression' in Ireland against which Bax rebelled so eloquently.

From a structural point of view, the Sonata is important in that it uses the germ motif (entire development sections stemming from a single, almost cellular motif) with which Bax develops the linear form of his symphonies. It also demonstrates the almost Wagnerian use of a falling or 'drooping' theme-shape in the opening bars, which dominate the entire work.