Prokofiev S. Two Sonatinas for Piano

Two easy sonatinas were written in the end of Prokofiev’s period of unlimited creative freedom not yet frozen by Soviet censorship. According to Prokofiev’s own words, he ‘always had a knack for sonatinas’. He liked the idea of writing quite simple thing in this supreme musical sonata form.

It is worth adding that this intentional easiness of sonatinas is not related to the level of required skills or richness of emotional sphere. The simplicity here is different, it dwells in clarity of musical language, in transparency and gracefulness of piano texture as well as is in absence of tragic contrasts and clashes of musical ideas. This music can be justly referred to as chamber music.