Sonatine H42

Arthur Honegger remains an unclassifiable composer, totally unique as far as the French musical landscape is concerned. Equally at ease in the domains of string quartets, opera, ballet, or film music, his style can be considered the perfect synthesis of a variety of influences. His Sonatine H.42 for clarinet in A, very compact, was composed between 1921 and 1922. The first movement has two instruments conversing in a halting flow before a brief fugato. The second movement presents a broad lyrical theme that moves inexorably forward with weight on the clarinet. The final movement is an unabashedly jazzy evocation.