Violin Sonata No. 1 (Schumann) - Mit Leidenschaftlichem Ausdruck

Mit Leidenschaftlichem Ausdruck

The first movement begins passionately, with the theme first played by the violin and amenable like so many of Schumann's themes to canonic treatment. (Schumann once remarked on this fact himself. ) This theme serves to introduce a compact, driven sonata form pushed ahead by economical use of rhythms (new themes often are based on some of the same rhythms as older ones, and overlap with them as well), by the intensity added by canonic treatment of themes, centering around, pushing towards, a small number of climaxes one of which is the reappearance of that opening theme in a much-slowed-down form just preceding (and followed without pause by) the recapitulation.

The coda is in two parts — quiet sustained over an F-E pedal with several recurrences of the main theme, gaining intensity and leading to a section — most of a page — in which the violin has running sixteenth notes, the piano mostly chords, until the final harmonies A major - A minor - F major - A minor.