Bernd Alois Zimmermann

Sonata

Zimmermann wrote a series of works for unaccompanied solo instruments in which he experimented with material and tested out virtuoso playing techniques, simultaneously producing self-contained, independent works of art. In 1955, Zimmermann's daughter Barbara died soon after her birth; for this reason, the Sonata for Viola solo bears the dedication '...to the song of an angel' in reminiscence of Alban Berg's violin concerto.The final section of the work contains a quotation from the chorale 'Gelobet seist Du Jesu Christ'. Zimmermann, who makes reference in this work to Pachelbel's technique of anticipatory imitation, has appropriately characterised the sonata as a chorale prelude. Viewed from this perspective, the previous sections of the composition can be perceived as a gradual crystallisation of the chorale theme which emerges in its pure form towards the conclusion of the work.