Exploring The Compositional Style And Performance Characteristics Of Cesar Franck’s Sonata In A Major For Violin And Piano

César Franck is one of the most influential French composers in 19th Century.His Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major is deemed as a classic among the violin repertoires.This thesis tries to give a better understanding of Cesar Franck’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major,his compositional intentions and the different possibilities of interpretation.It focuses on exploring the compositional style and performance characteristics of the Sonata.This thesis is divided into two parts.In the first chapter,the emergence of French music style in the late 19th century and its reflection in the composition of this woric are briefly discussed.Through the study of the late 19th century France’s history,musical form,harmony and other composition analysis,this thesis tries to give a better understanding of the historical background of the composer and the compositional techniques he uses.The second part explores the overall performance characteristies of the "La Belle Epoque" in France in the late 19th century and discusses the personal performance style of Eugene Ysaye,the violinist chosen by Franck to premier the work.The performance characteristics of Franck’s Sonata are analyzed through three main aspects,which are the relationship between timbre and changeable musical terms and the related left-and-right hand techniques,Franck’s controversial tempo markings and the cooperation between violin and piano.The research method used for the second part of the thesis is the study of music review articles during that period,study of violin pedagogy literature,analysis of Franck’s first published edition of the score combined with the author’s performing experience.