Dr. Lauren Bernofsky

Sonata for Violin Solo

At the time I was commissioned by Ms. Healy to write this piece, I had never so much as heard of Maud Powell. Ms. Healy sent me copy of Powell’s biography, and by the time I got about halfway through the book, Maud Powell had become my heroine. On top of being one of the most highly regarded violinists of her day (considered, for example, alongside the likes of Fritz Kreisler), she was greatly influential on the violin repertoire, working personally with composers such as Max Bruch, and giving the U. S. premiere of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. At the same time, she made it a point to perform for not just the glory of the grand concert stage but also in remote military hospitals, sometimes at the personal inconvenience of traveling long distances and even performing while ill. And she never dumbed-down her repertoire for a particular audience – she consistently presented high-quality, sophisticated works, and her audiences loved her programs.

My assignment was to write a piece honoring Maud Powell’s memory – and what a tall order it was, to write a piece that was worthy of such a great artist but also fine person. Luckily for me, violin is my instrument, so I was at least off to a good start with a complete understanding of the complexities of and available nuances on the instrument. I aimed to write a piece that would both refer to Maud Powell the musician but also be “a child of its time,” with a sound that reflected modern life. 

 One of the works Ms. Powell performed on her recitals was the Preludio movement from the Bach E major Partita, and I decided to refer to that movement in my own first movement, which I also titled  Preludio. The music subtly refers to Bach’s movement: I reflect Bach’s opening 3-note motive (where the music dips down a semi-tone and then back up) in the opening motive of my own movement, melodic material that comes back throughout the movement in various forms. I also refer to Bach’s 16th-note texture and his 3rd measure, comprised of a 16th-note passage that outlines a fifth and then fills it in with notes alternating between a scale and a fixed note. The corresponding passage in my piece occurs in the same place, measure 3. Apart from these references to Bach, my sonata is much more modern-sounding, especially with regard to the chromatic character of the notes. 

In the second movement, I was still thinking of Bach’s solo violin writing, especially the polyphonic nature of his slow movements, where he moves the melodic interest around between voices (and here I use the term “voices” to denote distinct melodic lines that can sometimes happen at the same time.) Emotionally, I wanted my movement to reflect the acute sadness that I had been experiencing over the political and social situation in the United States as I wrote the piece – I realized this was a historically noteworthy time in United States history, marked not only by political unrest, but also a challenge to the very values that I consider make a person fundamentally human.  I wanted to make a record of that pain through my music. 

For the final movement, my plan was to write something truly badass. The piece is marked “White-hot” – the music is imbued with a relentless, passionate intensity. Wanting to, again, reflect the current time, I wrote glissandi (slides) into the piece which refer to rock music, specifically the “fall-offs” I hear played on electric guitars. I borrow from another, completely different, musical tradition as well, one that is near-and-dear to my heart: Klezmer (East European Jewish folk music.)  Klezmer is characterized by scales colored by the interval of an augmented second, and it is often performed by solo instruments who add improvised embellishments, for instance quick grace notes. The music of the second, more lyrical, theme in this piece is my nod to Klezmer.  

At the time I was commissioned to write my Sonata for Violin Solo, the bulk of my commissions coming in were for brass music, so when I had the opportunity to write for violin, I embraced this project and set out to compose a substantial tour de force. While it is an homage to Maud Powell, I also think of it as my own musical autobiography, combining some of my favorite aspects of music, played on my own instrument.

Hailed by Lukas Foss as “a master composer,” Lauren Bernofsky has written well over a hundred works, including solo, chamber, and choral music, as well as larger-scale works for orchestra, film, musical, opera, and ballet. Her music has been performed across the United States as well as internationally in major venues from Carnegie Hall to Grieg Hall in Bergen, Norway.

She has over sixty works in print from Theodore Presser, Alfred, Carl Fischer, Boosey & Hawkes, FJH, Hal Leonard, Grand Mesa, Balquhidder, and Fatrock Ink. Her music is often heard at festivals and conferences, including Tanglewood, The Midwest Clinic, International Women’s Brass Conference, International Trombone Festival, American String Teachers Association Conference, and the International Trumpet Guild Conference. 
Recordings of her music are available on the Polarfonia, Emeritus, Blue Griffin, MSR Classics, Summit, and Albany labels. 

​Her works have won the National Flute Association’s Newly Published Music Competition, the Longfellow Chorus Award of Distinction, and an Excellence in Composition Award from the Brass Chamber Music Forum. Bernofsky has received grants from The National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts, The American Music Center, and The American Composers Forum. Her compositions have been commissioned by The Del Mar Trio, The Holyoke Civic Symphony, The Litchfield County Children's Choir, The South Shore Conservatory, Sinfonia Calcania of Boston, The Harford Ballet, Reimagining Opera for Kids, the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, and many others.

​Lauren Bernofsky holds degrees from the Hartt School, New England Conservatory, and Boston University, where she earned a doctorate in composition. She has taught at Boston University, The Peabody Institute, and Interlochen, and she regularly serves as a clinician and guest conductor at schools, universities, and regional festivals.

​Learn more about Dr. Bernofsky here