Respighi's Violin Sonata was composed in 1917 and is contemporary with one of his major works, Fontane di Roma.
[1] It was premiered in Naples on January 20, 1918, by the violinist Arrigo Serato and the pianist Alessandro Longo.
[2] The sonata was dedicated to Ernesto Consolo [de] and Arrigo Serato [de] and was published by Casa Ricordi in Milan in 1919 and again in 1947,[3] though not without difficulty, as publishers doubted the "performability" of the piece.
The movement list is as follows: The sonata is known for its demanding violin and piano parts and its complex tonal system.
[5] For example, the melody in the second movement is first played by the piano in 44, whereas the accompaniment has a time signature of 108.