Dulcie Holland: Sonata (1952) - 3. Vivo

Abstract

Dulcie Holland (b. 1913) herself premiered this fine work on ABC radio. It belies the image and reputation of the composer as a writer of light-weight miniatures, generally catering for the educational market and for young pianists. It is true that Holland's output is generally skewed in that direction, and it is therefore all the more pity that the traits displayed in the sonata (especially the dash and drama of the last movement) appear not to have surfaced in other piano music. Holland's approach to the piano is lyrical and mostly gentle, and her compositional approach is strongly tonal and formally well within the bounds of classical sonata form in the accepted sense.