Sonata in A minor, D.821 ''Arpeggione'' for viola and piano; Franz Schubert

Sonata in A minor, D.821 ''Arpeggione'' for viola and piano by Franz Schubert

Edited by Milton Katims. Published by International

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) was an Austrian composer of the Romantic Era and generally considered one of the greatest composers in the history of Western classical music. Despite his early death at age 31, he was remarkably prolific, leaving behind a vast oeuvre of over 1500 compositions, with over 600 art songs at its center. He left his mark on all genres, including--most consequentially for string players--on chamber music. His individual style grew out of the influences of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven and was characterized by a mastery of melodic writing as well as formal experimentation and significant harmonic innovation.

Schubert composed his Arpeggione Sonata in A minor, D.821 in 1824 for the then-popular arpeggione, an instrument akin to a bowed guitar. By the time the work was posthumously published in 1871, the instrument had long since fallen into obscurity. Today, this delightful yet demanding work is commonly played in arrangements for cello or viola and piano and looms large in each instrument's repertory. Advanced level, Grade 5.