Unlike other late works by Franck, the Violin Sonata of 1886 found a friendly reception among critics and public from the outset. It is dedicated to Eugène Ysaÿe, who was attracting much attention at the time with his flawless violin technique. Ysaÿe was so inspired by the Sonata that he promised “I will play this masterpiece wherever I can find an artistically-minded pianist”. Nothing has changed to the present day regarding the work’s continuing popularity, but it was time to revise Henle’s previous edition to reflect the latest research. In the intervening period it has been shown that Franck was actively involved in reading the proofs for the printed edition, meaning that the first edition, which contains many differences from the autograph, has become the basis for our new one. The markings of the violin part of our edition are by Yehudi Menuhin; Daniel Hope has undertaken the changes required by the revised musical text.
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Preface
A majority of the works by César Franck (1822 – 90) that have a firm place in today’s concert repertoire, such as his Piano Quintet, his String Quartet, the Variations symphoniques for piano and orchestra and the Symphony in d minor, were only written in the composer’s last years. His Violin Sonata in A major, composed in 1886, also belongs to their number, … more
Critical Commentary
About the composer

César Franck
Famous organist and composer who exerted a lasting influence on French music of the fin-de-siècle both through his works and especially as a teacher.
1822 | Born in Liège on December 10. |
1831 | Instruction in piano, organ, and composition at the Royal Conservatory of Liège. |
1835 | First stay in Paris, lessons with Reicha, among others. |
1837–42 | Studies at the Conservatoire de Paris. |
1839–42 | “3 Trios concertants,” Op. 1, in the first of which he employs the cyclic technique typical both of his later works and of French symphonic music of the 1880s. |
1843 | Concert tour through Belgium and Germany. |
1845 | Premiere of his oratorio “Ruth.” |
1847 | He becomes organist at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette |
1852–70 | He teaches at various institutions. |
from 1857 | Organist at Sainte-Clotilde, location of one of the famous Cavaillé Coll organs. Composition of sacred works; 1856–65, “6 Pièces” for organ. |
1861 | Member of the Société académique de musique sacrée (Academic Sacred Music Society). |
1869–79 | Composes oratorio “Les Béatitudes.” |
1871 | Founding member of the Société nationale de musique. |
1872 | Teaches an organ class at the Conservatoire. Among his most famous pupils are Duparc, Chausson, and d’Indy, whose Course in Musical Composition (1906) is based on Franck’s compositional and formal principles. |
1881–88 | Genesis of the symphonic poems “Le Chasseur maudit” (“The Accursed Huntsman”), “Les Djinns,” “Psyché.” |
1878 | Premiere of his “3 Pièces pour le Grand Orgue” in the monumental style. |
1886 | Violin Sonata in A major; president of the Société nationale de musique. |
1886–88 | Symphony in D minor, one of the most formative works of French symphonic music of the age. |
1890 | Death in Paris on November 8. |
1894 | Posthumous premiere in Monte Carlo of his opera “Hulda.” |