Sonata a Duo for Violin and Viola- M. M. Ponce

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    Manuel María Ponce is one of the most popular Mexican composers, he is considered the father of nationalism in that country from Latinoamerica. He was born in Fresnillo, Zacatecas, on December 8th of 1882. At the little time when he was born his family moved to Aguascalientes. He took his first piano lesson with her sister María del Refugio, Ponce composed his first piece at 9 years old, "The Measles Dances" (Guerra, 1997). In 1907 he entered the National Conservatory of Music of Mexico and in 1904 he traveled to Europe where he lived in some cities studying piano and composition. At his return to Mexico, in 1907, Ponce lived in Aguascalientes, and the next year he incorporated to the National Conservatory as a professor of piano and music history. He was the first musician in Mexico to play a complete program with the music of Claude Debussy in 1912.

    In all his musical work we can find different styles and instrumentation, works for piano solo and others for symphonic orchestra, some of them very famous internationally, for example, Estrellita for violin and piano (arranged by Heiftz). For viola sola or viola and piano, Ponce didn't write anything, but inside his catalog, there are two pieces where the viola has a primary role, these are the Sonata a duo for violin and viola, and the String Trio.

    Sonata a Duo was composed in 1938, is written with a traditional form of three movements: Allegro piutosto moderato, Adagio, Allegro. Ponce uses elements of atonalism, tonalism, and politonalism in this sonata (Montano, 2016). It is a wonderful sonata for listening and for playing. You can find the sheetmusic in Pretucci Library.

References:

Dahlia, G. (1997). Manuel M. Ponce: a study of his solo piano works and his relationship to mexican musical nationalism [The University of Oklahoma]. In Dissertation. 

Montano, M. (2016). VIOLA MUSIC FROM THE AMERICAS: MUSIC FROM CANADA, UNITED STATES, CUBA, VENEZUELA, MEXICO, AND BRAZIL [University of Mariland].