Violin Sonata No.1 for violin and piano; George Walker
George Walker (1922-2018) was a leading composer of his time and the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. He studied at Oberlin Conservatory, Curtis Institute, and the Eastman School with such luminaries as Rudolf Serkin, William Primrose, and Gregor Piatigorsky, going on to teach at Rutgers University. He was comfortable writing in many styles--from twelve-tone to tonal, jazz to classical; however, his works all share an interest in motivic development and pervasive syncopation.
Walker's Violin Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano is an early work, composed in Paris on a Fulbright Fellowship in 1958. It nevertheless displays adept and expressive violin writing imbued with great dramatic power. It is cast in one movement, with a fugal allegro, a recitative-like interlude, and moments of lyricism and highly rhythmic energy.
