Sonatine 43a

Sonatine Wo043a was written in 1796 and along with three other works for mandolin and piano was composed for the mandolinist Countess Josephine von Clary-Aldringen of Prague. I have come across two other arrangements of this work before (for cello and piano/flute and piano) but for me this one for mandolin and guitar works much better due to the lightness of sound produced by the mandolin, a sound more suited to the style of this music. Kindle presents this work in two arrangements here, one in the original key of C minor which has the guitar playing with capo at third fret for ease of performance, the other arrangement taken in the key of A minor the only change being in the mandolin notation, the guitar part remains the same sans capo. The work itself is an elegant and stately affair full of melodic charm, the two memorable melodies, one minor, one major, lasting in the memory long after hearing the piece. The music is presented in score-only but this is not really a problem as there are no page turns and the music is very clearly printed. Ideally suited to the duo of Intermediate level, this would make for a graceful encore in any recital. Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)