Musique. Quasi una sonata for piano, Op. 8 (1927) Józef Koffler

Musique. Quasi una sonata for piano, Op. 8 (1927)

Piano Works, Work with Opus Number

Dedication: à Karol Szymanowski

Manuscript: Unknown

Publication: Editions Maurice Senart, Paris, 1928. Copyright: E. M. S. 7522. Pages: 8

Premiere: No data available

First press mention of performance: Lwów, 15 January 1934, Edward Steuermann – piano (Muzyka 1934, no. 3)

Movements: I. Andante maestoso; II. Vivace con brio; III. Allegretto, à la polonaise; IV. Ben mosso; V. Sostenuto molto

I. Andante maestoso (fragment)

II. Vivace con brio (fragment)

III. Allegretto, à la polonaise (fragment)

IV. Ben mosso (fragment)

V. Sostenuto molto (fragment)

Perf. Martin von der Heydt – piano

Józef Koffler: Piano Works · Trio, Johannes Schöllhorn: Spur
cpo 777 979–2

Józef Koffler, Musique. Quasi una sonata, Op. 8 for piano, fragment of the score published by M. Senart, from the collection of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Library in Katowice, bearing Józef Koffler's signature.

Józef Koffler, Musique. Quasi una sonata, Op. 8 for piano, title page of the score published by M. Senart, from the collection of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Library in Katowice.

Józef Koffler, Musique. Quasi una sonata, Op. 8 for piano, movement I, fragment of the score published by M. Senart, from the collection of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Library in Katowice.

Józef Koffler, Musique. Quasi una sonata, Op. 8 for piano, movement III, fragment of the score published by M. Senart, from the collection of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Library in Katowice.

Józef Koffler, Musique. Quasi una sonata, Op. 8 for piano, movement IV, fragment of the score published by M. Senart, from the collection of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Library in Katowice.

Józef Koffler, Musique. Quasi una sonata, Op. 8 for piano, movement V, fragment of the score published by M. Senart, from the collection of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Library in Katowice.

Józef Koffler, Musique. Quasi una sonata, Op. 8 for piano, title page of the score published by M. Senart, from the collection of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Library in Katowice.

Koffler’s second dodecaphonic composition, completed on 15 August 1927 in Stryj, consists of five movements.

Józef Koffler, Musique. Quasi una sonata op. 8 for piano, movement II, fragment of the score published by M. Senart from the collection of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Library in Katowice.

It is dedicated to Poland’s greatest musical authority of the interwar period, Karol Szymanowski, who, though he did not share Koffler’s aesthetic fascinations, nevertheless declared deep respect for his achievements. Each movement in Musique is based on a separate twelve-note row. The whole can be interpreted as an advanced study of dodecaphony’s technical possibilities, contained in a form that is classically inspired but far from conventional. The first and last movements of his ‘quasi-sonata’ feature recapitulation segments but no development. Section two is a motoric two-part fughetta, whereas the third and fourth movements draw on Polish dances (the polonaise and the oberek), which may perhaps be interpreted as an attempt to ‘replace’ the dance sections of the sonata cycle with their national counterparts.

Technically, especially in the first movement, Koffler presents the notable concept of distributing notes in the series in accordance with principles of axial and central symmetry, while at the same time permutating the components. These highly notable experiments predate the much better known solutions applied by Alban Berg.