Franz Schubert, Karl Röhrig

Sonatinas for Piano and Violin Op. post. 137

Every young violinist is familiar with Schubert's sonatinas for violin and piano. The title 'sonatinas' used here is derived from the posthumous print of 1836; Schubert himself called them 'sonatas.' The diminutive form was no doubt selected because the pieces are fairly easy to play; marketing considerations perhaps also played a role here. With their typically lively, Schubertian melodies, they are among the most popular pieces ever written for piano and violin, and have continuously maintained their position as 'bestsellers' in the Henle catalogue (having the 'early' publisher's number 6). Schubert wrote them in 1816, thus at the age of 19. The first edition sometimes diverges considerably from the autograph; fortunately it has survived almost in its entirety (missing is the finale of the 2nd sonatina). For this final movement, the first edition had to be consulted as a source.