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figures throughout the movement. The close of the movement has echoes of the x motive
mixed with the swing rhythms from the middle section of the movement.
Second Movement: Drift
Larsen’s philosophy of the abstract and infinite nature of music is most present in
the second movement. Titled Drift, this movement provides a clear example of Larsen’s
technique of gradually applying changing harmonic sonorities with varying timbres and
textures to create subtle moods. Simple repeated piano chords create a calm and serene
atmosphere, and for long spans of time the harmony is quite static in this movement.
Through the voicing of these chords and the use of harmonics, tremolo, and dynamics in
the viola part, a complex texture is created to capture the essence of “drifting.”
This is the longest movement of the sonata, yet it is one of the most texturally
sparse pieces of chamber music Larsen has penned. The question in her program note,
“Can eloquence come as a result of non motion?”65 is most clearly applicable to this
movement. Unlike the outer movements, rhythmic energy is not the priority here,
suggesting a departure from the way Larsen usually conceives of music with rhythmic
motion at the forefront. The composer attributes this study of non-motion to the vocal and
lyric qualities of the viola.66
As with all of the works in this study, this movement is sectional, but because the
motives are not organized in any obvious way, the overall structure is not as clearly
defined as the first movement. There continues to be no tonal center in a traditional sense,
65
Larsen, Viola Sonata, preface.
66 Larsen, interview 8/2008.