Tuba Sonata

The Sonata for Tuba and Piano begins calmly and lyrically, and this opening theme sets the mood for the entire piece. It is followed by a sprightly second theme, and a return to the opening theme brings the movement to a close. Movement two is a playful Scherzo, and the use of a mute throughout this movement provides yet another color for the tuba. Towards the end of the movement a single line is passed back and forth between the tuba and piano. A reflective quality permeates the third movement, and is interrupted in the middle by a short, nervous allegro vivace featuring mixed meters. This slow movement leads directly to the fourth movement, whose opening motif has already been stated in the first movement. This time the motif is short, tense, and is developed in a variety of different ways. A final ostinato coda is based on the fragment of a tuba theme from the first movement.