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Franck: Violin Sonata
Duo · about 27–28 minutes

Franck: Violin Sonata in A

Generous, singing music for a violinist and a strong pianist. The piano part is the harder of the two, so it suits a pair where the pianist is at least as confident as the violinist.
Very demanding
For violin and piano
Players
violin and piano
Difficulty
Very demanding, judged by the hardest part
Length
About 27–28 minutes
Written
1886
Also known as
Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano · Franck Sonata · Cello Sonata in A (Delsart arrangement)
Free parts
Score and parts on IMSLP

Part by part

The piece is rated by its hardest part. Here is how each part compares, so a group can see who will need to practise most.
Violin
Long, singing lines over a wide range, a free recitative in the third movement and a passionate climb to the top in the finale. Expressive more than flashy.
Advanced
Piano
The real challenge: big stretches, rapid passagework and jumps, above all in the stormy second movement. The pianist should look at it before the session.
Very demanding

The movements

I. Allegretto ben moderato. Gentle and rocking, in 9/8. Ysaÿe persuaded Franck to take it faster than he first imagined, so don’t let it drag.
II. Allegro. Stormy piano writing with a violin line that pushes against the beat, starting in D minor and ending in D major. The hardest movement to put together.
III. Recitativo-Fantasia: Ben moderato. Free and improvisatory, with the violin speaking over the piano. Agree who leads in the recitative passages.
IV. Allegretto poco mosso. The canon tune passes between the instruments, so listen for who has it. Earlier themes come back before the bright ending.

Reading it together for the first time

Start with the finale: the canon is lovely to read and shows quickly how well you listen to each other.
Leave the second movement for later in the session, and read it well under tempo the first time.
The pianist will want the full score; the violinist can play from the part, but should glance at the piano line in the third movement.
Allow about half an hour for a play-through and more for the second movement, so book at least two hours.

About the piece

Franck wrote it in 1886, at 63, as a wedding present for the Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, who married Louise Bourdeau de Courtrai in Arlon on 26 September that year. After a quick run-through, Ysaÿe and the pianist Marie-Léontine Bordes-Pène played it for the wedding guests. They gave the first public performance in Brussels on 16 December 1886, in an art gallery that grew so dark, with no lamps allowed, that they had to play the last three movements by heart.
Ideas heard early on come back in altered form later in the piece, a method known as cyclic form. The finale begins with a melody played in canon, the violin following the piano. The only arrangement Franck approved was the cellist Jules Delsart’s version for cello.

Hear it live

No performances in New York, Boston, the Bay Area or Los Angeles on our listings right now. We update them every week.

What to play next

Beethoven · Violin Sonata in F, Op. 24 “Spring”
An easier way in: a sonata with an equal partnership but a gentler piano part.
Advanced
Grieg · Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45
A step below, with similar Romantic sweep for both players.
Advanced
Fauré · Violin Sonata No. 1 in A, Op. 13
Same level, also French and in A major, with an equally busy piano part.
Very demanding
Debussy · Violin Sonata in G minor
Same level and much shorter: a later French sonata in a very different style.
Very demanding
Franck · Piano Quintet in F minor
Franck again, for a pianist who wants to bring in a string quartet.
Very demanding
More in the full list by difficulty, or browse:
Violin and pianoViolinPiano

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Levels are Rhapsodate’s own rough guide, not an exam grade. Facts checked 2026-10-03 against:
IMSLP: movements, date, free score and violin part
Wikipedia: wedding, first performances, cyclic form, piano part, Delsart
LA Phil: length, first movement tempo, second movement
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