Three Main Chamber Music Works for Strings and Piano by the Mexican Composer Manuel M. Ponce

This essay examines the three main large-scale chamber music works for strings and piano written by the Mexican composer Manuel M. Ponce: the Romantic Trio for violin, cello and piano (1912), the Sonata for violoncello and piano (1922), and the Sonata Breve for violin and piano (1930). The purpose of the study is to aid chamber music performers in the understanding, preparation and execution of these works. Written contextually for performing musicians, the format for the study of the individual works includes sections on historical background and commentary on analysis and performance considerations. In addition, each work exemplifies a different musical stage in Ponce's compositional development. The author traces the composer's compositional and stylistic evolution throughout the study of these works. The essay also includes a comprehensive biography of Ponce and a general overview of the composer's chamber music works.