This piece was commissioned in May of 2023 by Dan Casso for his dissertation project to complete his doctorate at Boston University. All though this commission came at a very busy and stressful point in my life, I was so happy to accept it. Over the course of the year, I had a hard time envisioning what I wanted this piece to be. I had no time to write music during that semester as I was working on my master’s dissertation, and the last time I had written music was September of 2022. I was burnt out, but I wanted to write a piece that would be interesting and would consist of a good blend of traditional sonatas features, with a splash of originality.

            The first movement is inspired by the music of Sofia Gubaidulina, and her use of ratios in her music. This movement is structured around the golden mean and is split as whole by that ratio. The front section of the movement (the largest division of the mean) is further split by smaller golden ratios five times to allow this movement to develop as a Fibonacci sequence. It is further structured as a mix between a fugue and a fantasia, having a fugue theme that is interrupted by different impromptu section and many style variations.

            The second movement is a more traditional romantic style with a lot of freedom allowed from the performer. It is inspired by the beautiful colors that the flugelhorn can produce. It is in a traditional ABA form with a small cadenza-esque  section in the middle.

            The third movement is in a traditional rondo format and is inspired by the music of Hindemith with fast moving themes, fast changes in the colors, and tonality. The differing sharp points and lyrical themes of this movement help to contrast the first two movements of the sonata. This movement allows for a fast and exciting ending to the whole sonata.