Sonata No. 4

Sonata no. 4 for guitar solo was written in the early summer months of 2017. The choice of using seven movements, while at first glance may seem unusual, is actually within the framework of the extended sonata form. The traditional three-part form is maintained in the following way: the first three movements are played without a break, the fourth movement is in ternary form and the final three movements are played without a break as well. The first three and the final three movements each consist of a single character, while the central fourth movement has a more complex, multi-character nature. In addition to the unusual formal design, I have chosen to employ the seldom used scordatura of tuning the fifth string to Ab. The resulting sonority is strikingly rich. The longer form gave me space to explore the complex nature of this intriguing tuning. The work is dedicated to my brilliant colleague and friend Michael Partington.