My Sonata II is both my best, and my most difficult composition. It is the third work in my long term plan to compose Three Sonatas and Three Partitas for solo mandolin, and consists of three movements:

      Toccata
      Andante
      Fugue

It took 5 years to write this 15 minutes of music, and the Fugue was as exhausting to write as it is to play.  It is all based on a short motif that is developed extensively, like my first Sonata, but is technically more difficult.  It uses only traditional techniques, especially the intricate picking patterns of the 18th century virtuosos, but in new combinations and with meter changes.  Much of the Toccata is in 11/16, while the Andante is mostly quarter notes, depending on the harmonies to build intensity.  The Fugue subject is related to Bach's G minor violin fugue, but derived from the same theme as the Toccata.  Once again, I have used the B A C H motif as a counter theme, as well as the chorale tune, Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott.

I gave the first performance of the Toccata on May 18, 1987 at Georgetown University, and of the completed Sonata on June 13, 1989 at the Levine School of Music, both in Washington, DC.

PLEASE NOTE: This score is not yet available, but the price has been set. If you wish to pre-order, it will be shipped out as soon as it has been printed.

Catalog # NGP 1001
ISMN: 979-0-800030-09-9
Price: 

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