Hindemith's Flute Sonata was commissioned by the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation for a festival in Washington, where he was featured as both performer and composer.
Composer Biography
Edison Denisov, composer of another flute sonata, was encouraged by Shostakovich to attend the Moscow Conservatory and later became a teacher of composition and instrumentation there.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Hindemith, a string player who could play most orchestral instruments, aimed to provide new, idiomatic music for a wide range of instruments, beginning a series of sonatas in 1935.
Composition History
Prokofiev's Flute Sonata in D major was completed in 1943 while he was also working on the score for Sergey Eisenstein's epic film, Ivan the Terrible.
Historical Context
Paul Hindemith, composer of one of the flute sonatas, was branded a 'degenerative artist' by the Nazi regime in 1936, leading to a ban on his works and his eventual exile to Switzerland.
Composer Biography
Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn, composer of one of the flute sonatas, studied composition at the Leningrad Conservatory and later taught polyphony and composition there, becoming a senior lecturer in music theory.
Composition History
Prokofiev's Flute Sonata was transcribed for violin in 1944 at the suggestion of violinist David Oistrakh, and this version was later published as the Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano.
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