MUSIC FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO (Sonata No. 2) was written in the Spring of 1988, and first performed April 30, 1989 at a concert presented by the Arizona Composers Forum in Tucson, Arizona.  Performers for the performance were Ronald Whaley, violin, and Kathy Rood, piano.

Between the years of 1985 - 1991, I was writing in a style which can only be termed Neoclassical.  The rhythm is flowing and the harmony is rather diatonic.  The music moves in long sections, usually articulated only in the middle.  I consider the music to be quite lyrical and expressive, however, the real key to to the music is motion.  The music moves in multiple waves, ebbing back and forth as if one were floating on the water, or walking along the seashore.

Music for Violin and Piano is probably the most Neoclassical of the period, being a suite of Baroque dances.  It opens with a flowing and rather melancholy Allemande.  This followed by a stately yet haunting Sarabande.  After a graceful and lyrical Waltz, the set is concluded by a rousing Country Dance.  The finale shows the influence of fiddle music, on which my father's family was raised.

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