Leopold Godowsky

Sonata E minor

Leopold Godowsky (1870 - 1938), American pianist and composer of Polish origin, is famous for his studies on Chopin etudes, also published by Robert Lienau (5 volumes, RL 16940 - 16980). The Sonata in E Minor, with its duration of approx. 55 minutes, ranks among the largest Romantic and late Romantic piano sonatas. This sonata consists of five movements: large-scale sonata form, slow movement, scherzo-like movement, waltz and finale comprising a fugue on B-A-C-H. This composition evinces a remarkable mastery of contrapuntal technique; it is virtuoso without using its technical difficulties as a means for showing off. Following an ever-increasing demand, Robert Lienau has decided to make this piano sonata accessible once again after it had been out of print for a long time. For practical reasons, bar numbers were added, and Godowsky's original footnotes were translated into English and French. A challenge for ambitious pianists!