Are you an intermediate or advanced violinist intent on building your repertoire? Surely your teacher has some thoughts on where to go next with your playing (and you should listen!), but maybe you have a fire inside to go beyond that.
So, then: what violin music is most essential to learn?
With about four centuries worth of violin music to choose from — in a litany of genres, and from all around the world — it would be shortsighted for us to pick a handful of violin-centric pieces and try to call them "the best violin pieces", or even "the best violin pieces to learn". However, based on our knowledge as a company lead by violinists and violin family musicians, and as a trusted seller of sheet music, we do feel confident that these are some of the most valuable pieces to learn to challenge yourself, broaden your understanding of the classical/European/American canon, and to develop as a player.
Antonio Vivaldi, The Four Seasons
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As the old saying goes, "sometimes cliches are cliches for a reason", and that is certainly the case with this perennial set of beloved concerti. Famously tackled on record by everyone from Iona Brown to Nigel Kennedy, it is widely agreed that this is some of the finest, most beautiful violin music ever composed, and an integral part of any violinist’s repertoire.
Johannes Brahms, Sonata No. 3
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This beloved bit of bittersweet melancholy from the great German Romantic composer takes a good deal of effort from both the violinist and pianist, especially in its fourth movement. There’s no challenge for the listener, however! This lovely and accessible piece offers an experience which one might call cinematic, evoking a filmic sense of romance and adventure and pulling its audience along on an action-packed, crowd-pleasing journey.
Ludwig Van Beethoven, Sonata No. 9 (The Kreutzer Sonata)
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Even for a composer as notoriously tempestuous as Beethoven, Sonata No. 9 is a real emotional rollercoaster. The piece's history is just as erratic: originally dedicated to violinist and composer George Bridgetower, Beethoven revoked the dedication after a petty falling out with Bridgetower, granting the honor instead to renowned violinist Rodolphe Kreutzer. Kreutzer, neither a friend nor fan of Beethoven’s, refused to ever perform the piece, calling it "outrageously unintelligible".
Pretty harsh words, but perhaps Kreutzer was just intimidated by the technical workout at hand! Beyond the fleet fingers required, the Kreutzer Sonata’s three movements move wildly between manic ecstasy and abject sorrow, among many other emotional colors, making for an even greater challenge.
Béla Bartók, Violin Concerto No. 2
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Though technically challenging, perhaps the most difficult aspect of performing the one concerto published in the great Hungarian composer’s lifetime (Violin Concerto No. 1 was published posthumously) is to inhabit its mindset. At the time of the piece’s composition, 1937-38, Bartók was subject to several attacks in Hungary due to his staunch, outspoken anti-fascist views. The music reflects the tumult of 1930s Europe in its bracing dissonances and striking dynamic shifts, and creates a palpable sense of looming dread throughout. The concerto also reflects its time on a compositional level, incorporating the sort of twelve-tone themes which were au courant in 1930s Europe, though the piece as a whole was not composed using the twelve-tone technique.
Jean Sibelius, Violin Concerto
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The music of Jean Sibelius, like the man himself, was far more emotionally complex than it ever got credit for (though this 2007 piece on Sibelius by New Yorker contributor and music scholar Alex Ross does some work to correct the record), but the Finnish composer’s sole violin concerto is noted most for its bombast and the rigorous technical demands placed on its soloist. Treating the solo violin and all sections of the orchestra as equal voices, this concerto is a taxing work; so much so, in fact, that its 1904 premiere in Helsinki was marred by its featured soloist, the Czech pedagogue Victor Nováček, not being up to the task of playing it! That said, anything is possible with practice, and this piece is a guaranteed showstopper when you pull it off.
Camille Saint-Saёns, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
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Originally written as the finale to his first violin concerto, the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso proved so popular that Saint-Saёns ultimately published it separately. Dedicated to the violinist and composer Pablo de Sarasate, this piece is a concise but powerful workout for its soloist, top loaded with demanding arpeggios.
Philip Glass, Violin Concerto
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As you develop as a player, it’s important to explore modern (and postmodern!) approaches to playing violin, and famed New York composer Philip Glass has been an undeniable leader in the field for over four decades. Perhaps the most celebrated of the American east coast Minimalists, Glass would also push at the strictures of the Minimalist movement with pieces like this one. The rapid repeating arpeggios are a Glass trademark; maintaining speed, focus, and your place in the composition is an excellent test of patience and concentration, and one that will likely serve to deepen your appreciation of late 20th century approaches to composition and performing.
