Top Ten: Violin Sonatas

The violin sonata grew out of a Baroque practice in which the keyboard supported the violin, but it soon became something more balanced. In Bach’s sonatas, the keyboard already begins to move independently, and by the time of Mozart and Beethoven the two parts meet on equal terms. What follows is less a fixed model than a series of individual approaches, with composers in the 19th century and beyond shaping the form in their own ways. The works gathered here reflect that range, bringing together ten violin sonatas that continue to hold their place in the repertoire.