JAVS Spring 2019

Example 8. Rochberg, Sonata for Viola and Piano, II, mm. 36–39

Example 9. Rochberg, Sonata for Viola and Piano, II, mm. 56–57 (viola part)

is the viola’s opportunity for virtuosity—but unlike the piano, she is not capable of playing both the melody and accompaniment herself. Instead, she transforms the gesture into a virtuosic cadenza; in fact, a shadow of the original melody can be traced in the highest notes of the passage (ex. 9; compare to ex. 6, mm. 11–12). The prominent use of the open G string implies the same subdominant harmony that appeared in the corresponding locations. In m. 58, the two instruments reunite in a texture similar to that of mm. 13–14, but

expanded, so the entire four-bar section is stretched to seven bars.

Conclusion — Movement III: Fantasia: Epilogue

The third movement of the sonata is quite unlike the two that precede it. This final movement is very short (barely over 50 measures) and brings back ideas from the first movement in an improvisatory manner. In his memoirs, Rochberg describes his intentions to finish the sonata as a

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 35, No. 1, Spring 2019

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