Sonatine

work by Boulez

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July 14, 2026

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The Sonatine is a musical composition by the influential French composer Pierre Boulez, created in 1946. It is written for flute and piano.1

A sonatina is a shorter, often lighter version of a sonata, typically consisting of three brief movements. While the first movement of a sonatina usually includes the exposition and recapitulation of musical ideas, it may omit or simplify the development section. Boulez's Sonatine utilizes 12-tone technique, a method of musical composition developed by Arnold Schoenberg. In this piece, the 12-tone imitations and canons progress rapidly, creating an impression of movement and texture.213

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Pierre Boulez
In his Sonatine for flute and piano (1946), the 12-tone imitations and canons progress so quickly as to leave an impression merely of movement and texture. In Structures, Book I for two pianos (1952), the actual 12-tone series is simply taken from a work of Messiaen’s; but…
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In his Sonatine for flute and piano (1946), the 12-tone imitations and canons progress so quickly as to leave an impression merely of movement and texture. In Structures, Book I for two pianos (1952), the actual 12-tone series is simply taken from a work of Messiaen’s; but…
Read More