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.