Piano Sonata No. 4 (Scriabin)

The Piano Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp major, Op. 30, was written by Alexander Scriabin in 1903. It consists of two movements, Andante and Prestissimo volando, and is the shortest of Scriabin's sonatas (a typical performance takes about 8 minutes).

Stylistic traits

The sonata is written in a post-Romantic style, similar to Scriabin's other works of the time, and the mood could be described as erotic. The first movement, expressive and calm, is monothematic (based on a single theme). The second movement, celebratory and climatic, starts attacca right after the Andante movement.

A more Romantic idea is the use of cyclic form in restating the Andante’s main theme (dolcissimo) as the ecstatic climax of the Prestissimo volando movement (Focosamente, giubiloso). This outlay appears closely related to the last two movements from the 3rd sonata, also linked by an attacca, where the climax of the finale likewise restates the lyrical Andante theme of the third movement. Russian composers such as Tchaikovsky or Rachmaninoff often restated the lyric theme of the finale movement as climactic coda (for example in the piano concertos). Scriabin instead returns to the 'slow' movement’s theme, and this may have led to further experiments with a condensation of form in the one-single-movement 5th sonata where the climax (estatico) is again a restatement of the Languido theme (dolcissimo).

External links

• Sonata No. 4 (Scriabin): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

Alexander Scriabin
Orchestral works	Rêverie Symphony No. 1 in E major Symphony No. 2 in C minor Symphony No. 3 in C minor (The Divine Poem) The Poem of Ecstasy Prometheus: The Poem of Fire Mysterium
Concerto	Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor
Piano music	Sonatas No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 No. 6 No. 7 No. 8 No. 9 No. 10 Études Étude in C-sharp minor Étude in D-sharp minor Preludes Prelude in C major Prelude in E minor Prelude in E major Prelude in C-sharp minor Prelude in F major Prelude in A minor Prelude Op. 59 No. 2 Prelude, Op. 74, No. 2 Other Fantaisie in B minor Nocturne in A-flat Sonata-Fantaisie in G-sharp minor Vers la flamme
Named for Scriabin	ANS synthesizer
Related articles	List of compositions Accarezzevole Color organ Julian Scriabin Mystic chord Russian symbolism Synesthesia in art Theosophy Unified field
Portal:Classical music