Robert Schumann (1810-1856). German composer. In many ways Schumann represents the quintessential Romantic composer. Rather than well structured style, his music is characterized by his spontaneous emphasis on lyricism. This violin sonata was written with full consideration for the violin's technical requirements. It is very brief, powerful, and passionate. The first movement starts with a delicate piano melody along with the violin's first theme. The second movement is more Schumann like and filled with romantic sentiments. The third movement is marked Allegro con brio ( “lively” ) and the ending of sonata is powerful.
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). French composer. His distinctive style brought lasting popularity, and his talent helped him to a position of eminence among composers of his day. He mainly devoted to the splendor of French style music but has also experimented boldly and successfully with different musical forms. 'Tzigane' (gypsy in French) is a modem rearrangement of gypsy music. Ravel composed this piece in 1924 for a Hungarian violinist, Jelly d'Aranyi(1895-1966). He studied Paganini's 'Caprices' in order to incorporate various violin techniques. It starts off with cadenza style violin solo and the latter half comprises many complex passages requiring advanced techniques for the violinists.