Sonatas for Harp

CPE Bach, Sonata for Harp (15′) 1762
Paul Hindemith, Sonata for Harp (12′) 1939
Lash, Sonata for Harp (23′) 2015
Germaine Tailleferre, Sonata for Harp (10′) 1957

Lash presents three sonatas for harp, examining different ways in which these pieces interact with what it means to be a sonata. The CPE Bach reflects a highly changeable and detailed surface, with harmonic underpinnings that reflect the affective colors of the late baroque. The Hindemith is a tightly crafted piece whose form reflects a traditional sonata but reimagines the conventions in some important ways. The Tailleferre also reflects the traditional, but through a lens wholly unique to the composer and the time and place in which the sonata was written: 1950’s Paris; it exudes a straightforward gestural language and an almost diatonic harmonic world. Lash’s own sonata also plays with what it means to be a sonata, drawing inspiration from the expressive, chromatic, and mobile harmonies of Schumann and Schubert.