Debussy: Sonata No. 1 In D Minor (1915) For Cello & Piano/Intl

Category: Cello and Piano ** Composer: Debussy, Claude ** Title: Sonata No. 1 in D Minor (1915) ** Edited by: Fournier ** Publisher: International Edition ** Difficulty: ASTA Grade 6.

Debussy composed his Sonata for Cello and Piano in 1915, five years after developing eventually fatal cancer. Unable to serve in his country's military during World War I due to his health, Debussy came to view composition as the only way to express his patriotism. While one might expect music composed during this turbulent time to be dark, this sonata is actually exuberant, modern, and witty. Debussy even employs classical form, particularly in the first movement, though one would be hard pressed to notice it amidst the intensely modern harmony and unpredictable tempo.