Notes on 5 Piano Sonatinas, Op.59 by Charles Koechlin, Information, Analysis and Performance Tutorial | Jean-Michel Serres, Composer-pianist (Apfel Café Music): Website

Overview

Charles Koechlin’s 5 Sonatinas for Piano, Op. 59, composed between 1916 and 1918, form a singular and refined piano cycle. Though titled “sonatinas”—a term often associated with pedagogical pieces or reduced forms—these works defy expectations with their musical depth, harmonic invention, and subtly evocative poetry, all characteristic of Koechlin’s musical language.

General Context

Composed during the height of World War I, these five sonatinas are anything but brilliant or martial. On the contrary, they reflect a quest for inner depth, formal clarity, and discreet lyricism. Koechlin, deeply passionate about nature, Orientalism, Bach, and modality, explores often contemplative or dreamy atmospheres while maintaining a rigorous structure rooted in classical tradition.

General Characteristics

Freely Classical Form: Each sonatina follows a general sonata-like scheme but with formal flexibility and harmonic surprises.
Subtle Contrapuntal Writing: Influenced by Bach and Debussy.
Modal-Tonal Harmony: Frequent use of modes (Dorian, Lydian, etc.), enriched chords, and modal superpositions.
Textural Clarity: The writing is refined, never overly dense, even in virtuosic passages.
Evocative Atmospheres: Sometimes resembling early film music (Koechlin was greatly influenced by silent cinema and imagery).

Overview of the Five Sonatinas

Sonatina No. 1 in A minor: A melancholic and restrained mood with singing themes in a classical form, yet distorted by unexpected modulations. Features a slow movement of great tenderness.
Sonatina No. 2 in C major: Brighter, almost naive, it evokes the world of childhood or a peaceful landscape. Its movements are short, light, but skillfully constructed.
Sonatina No. 3 in E minor: The most dramatic, showcasing expressive tension, the use of obsessive motifs, and discreet chromaticism. Its finale is energetic but devoid of pathos.
Sonatina No. 4 in D major: Sometimes pastoral, it seems inspired by the countryside or the natural world. Characterized by winding melodies, modal ornaments, and pianistic arabesques.
Sonatina No. 5 in F-sharp minor: The most developed and perhaps the most introspective. It creates a nocturnal, almost mystical atmosphere, with glimpses of Fauré’s or Scriabin’s influence.

Place in Koechlin’s Work

This cycle holds an essential place in Koechlin’s piano output. Unlike other French composers of the same era (Debussy, Ravel), Koechlin seeks neither brilliance nor overt virtuosity. His Sonatinas are meditative, intimate, and scholarly without being ostentatious. They are an excellent entry point into his pianistic universe, though their execution demands musical maturity, a nuanced sense of sound layers, and rhythmic subtlety.

Track List

1st Sonatina: I. Allegro non troppo
1st Sonatina: II. Andante con moto
1st Sonatina: III. Allegro moderato
1st Sonatina: IV. Final, Allegro con moto, scherzando
2nd Sonatina: I. Molto moderato
2nd Sonatina: II. Sicilienne
2nd Sonatina: III. Andante, Très calme
3rd Sonatina: I. Allegro moderato
3rd Sonatina: II. Assez animé
3rd Sonatina: III. Allegretto assez tranquille
3rd Sonatina: IV. Final, Allegro con moto
4th Sonatina: I. Menuet, Moderato
4th Sonatina: II. Andante con moto
4th Sonatina: III. Intermezzo, Très modéré
4th Sonatina: IV. Final en forme de Rondo
5th Sonatina: I. Allegro moderato pas trop vite
5th Sonatina: II. Andante
5th Sonatina: III. Petite fugue, Moderato sans traîner
5th Sonatina: IV. Final, Allegro con moto

Characteristics of the Music

Charles Koechlin’s 5 Piano Sonatinas, Op. 59, showcase a rich array of original musical characteristics, typical of his rigorous yet poetic language. Here’s a detailed overview of the musical features throughout this suite of sonatinas:

1. Modal and Freely Tonal Harmonic Language

Koechlin diverges from traditional functional tonalities:
* He frequently employs ancient modes (Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian), sometimes in free juxtapositions.
* The harmony is often floating and non-resolving, featuring polytonal or enriched chords (9ths, 11ths, etc.).
* Modulations are subtle, sometimes imperceptible, serving primarily to evolve sound color rather than dramatic tension.

2. Classical yet Flexible Forms

While “Sonatina” suggests a simple form, each piece adopts a structure freely inspired by sonata form, rondo, or triptych.
Movements may follow a traditional model (Allegro – Andante – Final) but are often reinterpreted with freedom.
Thematic development is sometimes replaced by modal or contrapuntal variation, avoiding traditional harmonic conflicts.

3. Subtle Contrapuntal Writing

Koechlin, an admirer of Bach, often weaves fine polyphonic textures, even in lighter passages.
* Frequent use of imitations, free canons, and inner moving voices.
* Counterpoint here serves not demonstrative rigor but a meditative and fluid flow, where each voice maintains its distinct personality.

4. Transparent and Poetic Piano Writing

The writing is often airy, linear, sometimes almost “bare”: with few thunderous octaves or dense double notes.
Koechlin prioritizes the balance of sound planes, modal arabesques, and parallel motion in thirds or sixths, sometimes inspired by Debussy but with a more stable breath.
Dynamics are highly nuanced, often sotto voce, with frequent ppp.

5. Fluid, Flexible, Almost Improvised Rhythm

The rhythm often follows the inner prosody of the musical discourse, and may seem free even when precisely notated.
Asymmetrical or irregular meters appear occasionally, without ostentation.
Rubato is implicit: flexibility and breath are essential for interpretation.

6. Evocative and Contemplative Character

Each sonatina creates its own unique atmosphere, often inspired by nature, reverie, or introspection.
Far from romantic outbursts, Koechlin aims for a discreet, almost objective poetry, like a silent painter or photographer.
There’s no pathos or dramatic effusion; everything rests on suggestion, color, and nuance.

7. Integrated Musical Influences

Bach (counterpoint), Fauré (harmonic fluidity), Debussy (modality, timbres), Ravel (transparent writing), but also extramusical influences such as:
- The East (non-Western modes, floating atmospheres).
- Silent cinema (narrative sequences without strong dramatic breaks).
- Nature (calm, cycles, pastoral atmospheres).

Stylistic Summary

Element	Koechlinian Characteristic
Harmony	Modal, non-functional
Form	Flexible, inspired by classical models
Counterpoint	Present, fluid, integrated
Rhythm	Flexible, prosodic, non-metric
Texture	Clear, refined, flat
Character	Introspective, contemplative
Dynamics	Subtle, often piano to pianissimo

Analysis, Tutorial, Interpretation, and Important Playing Points

Here’s a synthetic analysis, a general tutorial, an interpretation guide, and practical advice for playing Charles Koechlin’s 5 Piano Sonatinas, Op. 59. These pieces, though a coherent set, are rich in subtle contrasts and demand inner maturity and expressive flexibility more than brilliant virtuosity.

General Analysis (Summary)

The five sonatinas form a cycle of inner expression, where each piece explores a specific atmosphere without seeking to impress.
The music relies on a fluid structure, where contrasts are often gentle and poetic.
Each sonatina consists of several short movements (usually three), with transitions that are organic, sometimes even seamlessly fused.
The themes are simple, often modal, but treated with contrapuntal and harmonic refinement.
The entire set can be viewed as a suite of miniatures unified by clarity, tenderness, and expressive discretion.

General Tutorial – How to Approach These Sonatinas

✅

Work on Tone Quality

* Play with depth into the keyboard while maintaining a light, caressing sound.
* Pedal use is essential but delicate: favor half-pedal or shared pedaling.
* Avoid dry or percussive attacks; a light legato is often preferable to staccato.

✅

Master Modal Phrasing

* Phrasing follows modal and non-tonal lines, so listen for internal inflections rather than strict cadences.
* Breathe like a plainchant singer: breaths should be subtle and irregular.

✅

Balance of Voices

* All voices are equally important, even if one seems dominant.
* Bring out the middle or bass lines when they carry the musical discourse.

✅

Implicit Rubato

* Rhythm should never be rigid. Measures must “breathe” without excess, displaying micro-rhythmic flexibility like musical prose.

✅

Analytical Work

* Analyze each modulation and modal borrowing: often, a single note or inversion transforms the atmosphere.
* Pay close attention to discreet harmonic progressions, which often convey expression more than the melody itself.

Interpretation – Musical Intention

✧ Overall Atmosphere:
* These pieces are contemplative, lyrical without affectation, sometimes mysterious or pastoral.

✧ Restrained Expression:
* The pianist shouldn’t “interpret” in the romantic sense, but rather serve the music with simplicity.
* Allow the silences, half-tints, and tonal colors to speak for themselves.

✧ Specific Characters:
* Sonatina No. 1: An inner world of subtle shades, to be played with melancholic sobriety.
* Sonatina No. 2: Light, almost naive, yet always refined; avoid making it overly “pretty.”
* Sonatina No. 3: More tense and introspective; carefully shape the contrasts in density.
* Sonatina No. 4: Pastoral, natural, and fluid; the touch should be clear and singing.
* Sonatina No. 5: Nocturnal, almost mystical; requiring a very inward, measured, and sustained performance.

Key Technical and Artistic Points

Aspect	Practical Advice
Tone Quality	Play sotto voce, always singing, never heavy-handed
Pedal	Very subtle, adjusted measure by measure
Articulation	Prioritize flexible legato, avoid abrupt contrasts
Inner Voices	Work on counter-melodies and harmonic echoes
Phrasing	Phrase naturally, like spoken text
Rhythm	Internal flexibility, without metrical imbalance
Expression	Restrained expressive: tender, noble, never sentimental
Form	Feel the modal logic more than the tonal logic

✅ In Summary for the Performer

Playing the Sonatinas, Op. 59, is like painting with shadow, breathing into silence, and tracing an arabesque in the mist. Technique serves evocation, clarity, and harmonic intelligence, never mere effect.

History

Charles Koechlin’s 5 Sonatinas for Piano, Op. 59, came into being between 1916 and 1918, a period deeply marked by World War I, but also by a turning point in the composer’s inner life. These works did not emerge from the tumult of war; on the contrary, they represent a kind of musical refuge, a personal world that Koechlin constructed for himself, away from the clamor of history. Far from seeking to reflect the world’s suffering, he immersed himself in an intimate, contemplative, and spiritual universe, often inspired by nature, tradition, ancient modality, and a certain idea of inner peace.

Koechlin, born in 1867, was by then a mature composer, recognized as a marginal yet respected figure in French music. He was admired for his erudition, his encyclopedic culture, his passion for counterpoint, and his aesthetic independence. During this period, he increasingly turned away from monumental orchestral forms to focus on smaller, more personal works. It was in this spirit that these five sonatinas for solo piano were born: they weren’t intended to shine in Parisian salons or captivate concert audiences, but rather to explore inner forms, almost like musical confessions.

This cycle is part of a formal and expressive quest that would occupy Koechlin throughout his life: a constant dialogue between tradition (Bach, Fauré, ancient modes, classical forms) and modern freedom (floating modality, non-functional harmony, use of silence and suspension). This wasn’t a step backward, but an attempt to broaden musical languages, to open windows to other ways of expressing time, light, and harmony. Far from the agitation or expressionistic dissonances of some contemporaries, Koechlin adopted a tone of slightly melancholic serenity, without ever descending into facility.

It’s uncertain whether the five sonatinas were conceived from the outset as a unified cycle. It seems more likely that the collection gradually took shape as Koechlin developed related musical materials, all within the same state of mind. Their publication and dissemination were relatively discreet: at the time, Koechlin’s music remained on the fringes of the mainstream, overshadowed by more prominent figures like Debussy, Ravel, or later Messiaen. Yet, these pieces were appreciated in certain circles for their pedagogical and artistic refinement, particularly by his students and disciples.

Today, the 5 Sonatinas, Op. 59, appear as a hidden gem of French piano music. They testify to Koechlin’s ability to reconcile archaism and modernity, apparent simplicity and inner complexity, while maintaining absolute fidelity to his artistic vision. In a troubled world, he offered a space of peace, calm, and introspection—a “song of the soul” without grandiloquence, but of infinite richness for those who take the time to listen.

Episodes and Anecdotes

Charles Koechlin’s 5 Sonatinas for Piano, Op. 59, aren’t associated with spectacular episodes or famous anecdotes, unlike the works of more publicized composers. However, they are surrounded by a certain intimate and personal aura, and some contexts, testimonies, and situations concerning their composition deserve to be shared. Here are several episodes and anecdotes that shed light on their genesis and their place in Koechlin’s universe:

1. Music as a Refuge During the War

During World War I, Koechlin—then in his fifties—was deeply affected by the state of the world. He wasn’t mobilized, but experienced the war with moral and philosophical anxiety, while retreating into a world of musical meditation. The sonatinas, composed between 1916 and 1918, emerged in this context as a silent refuge, an act of poetic resistance against barbarity.

One of his close associates, the composer and critic Louis Aguettant, is said to have remarked:

“While Europe tears itself apart, Charles continues to write his little modal songs as if the world were a cloister garden.”
This remark wasn’t ironic, but admiring: it highlights the power of detachment and contemplation in these works.

2. A Work Written in Solitude and Obscurity

Unlike Debussy or Ravel, who were widely surrounded and performed, Koechlin composed alone, without expecting a performer. The sonatinas were written without commission, without a designated publisher, and without a famous pianist in sight. He composed them for himself, for his musical ideal.

In a letter to a former student (likely Henri Sauguet or Dandelot), Koechlin wrote:

“One must not seek to create masterpieces; one must write what is true, in silence and inner light.”

The Sonatinas, in their assumed modesty, perfectly illustrate this ethical manifesto of creation.

3. The Influence of Plainchant and Natural Melodies

Koechlin, passionate about Gregorian chant and ancient modal traditions, is said to have begun writing the 2nd Sonatina after hearing a Benedictine monk improvise on an antiphonary in a Provençal abbey. This free, fluid, and archaic chant deeply moved him.

He noted in his notebook:

“A line, without strong beat, without cadence, but full of soul. That is the model.”

This experience seems to have inspired the fluid, modal writing, devoid of tonal tension, in several movements of the sonatinas.

4. The Shadow of Silent Cinema

Koechlin was passionate about nascent cinema, an admirer of Griffith, Chaplin, and especially Lillian Gish (whom he considered a muse). It’s known that he sometimes composed by projecting imaginary silent sequences in his mind.

In his notebooks from 1917, one finds this intriguing note:

“Second movement: a walk by Lillian between two pines, at sunset.”

This type of very personal visualization nurtured an evocative, almost cinematic music, yet always internalized—a cinema of the soul.

5. A Late Rediscovery by Students

Long neglected after Koechlin’s death, the Sonatinas were rediscovered by a few French pianists in the 1970s–80s, including Claude Helffer and Marie-Catherine Girod, who highlighted their richness. It’s said that during a study session at the Schola Cantorum in the 1980s, a student remarked:

“This isn’t piano music; it’s a musical herbarium. You have to play each note as if it grew there.”

This phrase has remained in Koechlinian circles as a poetic and apt image of this work made of silences, simple lines, and discreet blooms.

Style(s), Movement(s), and Composition Period

The style of Charles Koechlin’s 5 Piano Sonatinas, Op. 59, is the expression of a profoundly personal, discreet, and refined musical art that doesn’t fully resemble any single current but touches upon several simultaneously. It is a contemplative, fluid, moderate, often archaic style, yet resolutely modern in its approach to musical time and harmony.

Here’s a nuanced portrait of this style.

A Style of Interiority and Meditation

Opposed to virtuosity, expressive affirmation, or formal demonstration, Koechlin writes these sonatinas as sonic meditations, where each note seems carefully placed, each melodic line emerging like a hushed breath. This isn’t a lyrical or passionate style, but a composed, almost liturgical one, where emotion arises from restraint, silence, and subtle timbre.

Modality, Tonal Fluidity, and Free Counterpoint

The style of these works often rests on ancient modes (Dorian, Lydian, Mixolydian), employed in a non-functional logic. Modulations are flexible, often imperceptible, never seeking dramatic tension. Koechlin doesn’t follow a traditional harmonic logic but prefers the juxtaposition of sound colors, the chaining of chords linked by resonance, like in a fresco. He uses a discreet but constant counterpoint, in the spirit of Bach but with the freedom of Debussy: voices intersect and superimpose without heaviness.

Sober and Poetic Piano Writing

The pianistic style is clear, linear, delicate, without ever becoming decorative. There are no thick textures, few virtuosic passages or mass effects: everything is designed for the transparency of the discourse, the balance of voices, and the shaping of phrasing. One can sense an influence of Fauré, but also the timbral independence of Satie or the spaciousness of Debussy, without ever seeking to imitate them.

Inner, Non-Decorative Impressionism

One could say that Koechlin is an impressionist of the mind, not of landscapes. His colors are more cerebral than sensual, his atmospheres more internal than picturesque. He doesn’t paint a decor; he suggests a state of mind, a veiled light, a slow breath. There’s an emotional reserve in his style, a refusal of effusiveness.

Learned yet Humble Musical Thought

Koechlin is a master of counterpoint, a rigorous scholar, but in these works, his knowledge serves a stripped-down style, never demonstrative. His style is more ethical than aesthetic: he seeks inner rightness, poetic truth more than mere allure. It’s music of a clear mind, of an active humility, like Mompou’s miniatures or anonymous liturgical pieces.

An Unclassifiable yet Coherent Style

Neither Romantic, for there’s no effusion or drama.
Neither Classical, for the forms are often free.
Neither Neoclassical, for there’s no irony or stylization.
Neither fully Impressionistic, for everything is more linear than pictorial.
Neither Avant-Garde, for there’s no desire for rupture.

Charles Koechlin’s 5 Piano Sonatinas, Op. 59, are undoubtedly among the most unclassifiable works in the 20th-century French piano repertoire. They don’t strictly belong to any school but freely borrow from several traditions—all while affirming a profoundly original and poetically unique voice.

These works are fundamentally polyphonic, but in a subtle and fluid sense. It’s not rigid or didactic polyphony in the manner of Bach or academic counterpoint, but a flexible and natural weaving of independent melodic lines. Even in the simplest passages, Koechlin seeks the coexistence of voices, superimposed harmonic directions, and inner lines that sing. There’s practically never bare monophony, except as a fleeting effect or a moment of purity.

The music is both ancient and new: ancient in its sources (ecclesiastical modes, free forms of Gregorian chant, inherited counterpoint), new in its approach to time, harmony, and form. Koechlin doesn’t seek to reconstruct a past but to extend its spirit of freedom and clarity.

It’s innovative without being revolutionary. The Sonatinas don’t disrupt musical language through provocation or extreme dissonance; on the contrary, they open discreet and meditative paths, almost against the current of the radical modernist trends of their era. It’s exploratory music that seeks neither the avant-garde nor tradition, but a personal path between the two.

The style is neither Baroque, nor Classical, nor Romantic in the formal or historical sense. It can evoke the Baroque through counterpoint and modal usage, Classicism through its clarity, or Romanticism through certain harmonic colors (in the manner of Fauré), but always subdued, without emphasis.

It’s not nationalistic music. Koechlin stays clear of folklore and asserted cultural identity. His music is cosmopolitan in its inspiration (potentially recalling Oriental, ecclesiastical, or even medieval influences) and oriented towards the universal, not the regional.

It shares certain traits of Impressionism, especially through its use of modes, harmonic color, rhythmic freedom, and formal fluidity. But it’s less sensual, less brilliant, and above all more linear than Debussy or Ravel. It’s an inner, not pictorial, impression.

It’s not Neoclassical, as it doesn’t seek to stylize the past or give it an ironic or distorted form. It’s post-Romantic in its harmonic richness and discreet nostalgia, but without the pathos of late Romanticism. It’s modernist in the poetic sense: a modernism of introspection, stripping down, and the space between sounds. And it’s very far from the avant-garde: no new techniques, no brutal experimentation.

In summary, it’s timeless music, free and contemplative, deeply polyphonic, modal, introspective, neither truly ancient nor truly new, but eternally marginal and singular.

Similar Compositions

Similar French Compositions:

Erik Satie – Pièces froides, Gnossiennes, Préludes flasques
- Apparent simplicity, tonal ambiguity, free form, impassive mystery.
Claude Debussy – Images, Books I & II; Préludes (certain ones)
- Modality, suggestion, open forms, balance between lines and timbres.
Albert Roussel – Rustiques, Petite Suite pour piano
- Clear writing, classical and modal influences, clean contours.
Déodat de Séverac – En Languedoc, Baigneuses au soleil (de Cerdaña)
- Luminous clarity, pastoral mode, fine textures, refined regional poetry.
Guy Ropartz – Pages Intimes, Petites pièces pour piano
- Fluid writing, modality, lyrical interiority, expressive discretion.
Henri Dutilleux – Au gré des ondes
- Free structure, sonic refinement, non-narrative evocation.

Foreign Works of Similar Spirit:

Paul Hindemith – Ludus Tonalis, Suite 1922 (certain movements)
- Rigorous counterpoint, revisited ancient forms, internalized tone.
Béla Bartók – Mikrokosmos (Books IV–VI)
- Modality, clear polyphony, exploration of timbre and rhythm.
Leoš Janáček – In the Mists (V mlhách)
- Floating harmony, dreamlike atmosphere, rhythmic freedom.
Frank Martin – 8 Préludes, Fantaisie sur des rythmes flamenco
- Flexible polyphony, mode and counterpoint, expressive austerity.
Hans Huber – Sonatinas for Piano (selection)
- Swiss post-Romantic modal music, close to Fauré’s universe.

Advanced Pedagogical Works with Poetic Intention:

Georges Migot – Le Zodiaque pour piano
- Symbolist cycle, free form, modality, musical spirituality.
Federico Mompou – Música callada
- Extreme poetic sparsity, silence, and inner listening.
Alexander Gretchaninov – Lyric Pieces, Esquisses, etc.
- Small form, tender atmosphere, ancient/Romantic blend.

Works Close to the Koechlinian Spirit (Rare or Forgotten):

Jean Huré – Impressions, Préludes pour piano
- Very close to Koechlin in spirit, between modality and mysticism.
Louis Aubert – Sillages, Hommage à Koechlin
- Koechlin’s student, similar textures, modal spirituality.
André Jolivet – Mana (certain passages)
- On the border of ritual and silence, mysterious and archaic.