Cello Sonata Nº1

About

The Sonata for Cello and Piano was commissioned by South African cellist Berthine van Schoor through the SAMRO Endowment for the National Arts. Berthine and I had had many collaborations prior to this engagement and over time we formed a friendship that led to this piece.

The Sonata is performed in three movements in the traditional fast-slow-fast classical model. The first movement centers itself around a harmonic structure that I explored over a few years. The concept is based on the premise that an augmented triad has three possible major resolutions, and to use those resolutions simultaneously. The movement unfolds in a fantasy-like style rather than traditional sonata form.

Berthine has had many trips to India and I made the journey myself in 2012. We would discuss at length our love for the country and so in the second movement I incorporated a theme from another work that was based on my own trip to India.

The final movement is a kind of Rondo based on the same harmonic structures as the first movement and in a sense is in the style of a tarantella.

This work is available to purchase from www.keithmoss.org.