Sonaty skrzypcowe Raula Koczalskiego

Abstract

The paper examines the characteristics of four violin sonatas of Polish composer Raul Koczalski, an excellent pianist and chopinist who was active during the first half of the 20th century. This paper begins by remarking on the current state of research on Koczalski’s work, which mostly focuses on his intensive career as a pianist. Conversely, the discussion around his diverse compositions has been mostly focused on his piano pieces and songs. Koczalski was a neoromantic composer. The violin sonatas examined chronologically in the second part of this paper have been published in the years between 1915 and 1928. The main goal of this analysis was presenting the idiomatic characteristics of these works, such as the paramount importance of melodics and the various types of lyrical expression. Koczalski used two types of cantilenas: epic and recitative. The first two sonatas are neoromantic, while the third and fourth show neoclassic influences.