Sergei Prokofiev's Third Piano Sonata, OP. 28: Stylistic Analysis and Performance Suggestions

Abstract

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was one of the greatest Russian pianists and composers of the twentieth century. He established his own musical style by combining classical form and modern compositional techniques. He composed a variety of piano music including nine piano sonatas. This paper is a study of the third piano sonata in A minor, op. 28. Prokofiev’s music can be classified into three periods: a Russian Period, a Foreign Period, and a Soviet Period. It is possible to identify Prokofiev’s compositional styles by studying his piano sonatas because he composed piano sonatas during the entire course of his life. In this document, a review of Prokofiev’s life and music and a brief survey of his nine piano sonatas precede an analysis of Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata no. 3, op. 28. This sonata is the composer’s most popular sonata for piano recitals. In chapter IV, performance suggestions follow a stylistic analysis. It is valuable to analyze stylistically in order to perform successfully. Pianists will require a high level of technique to play this piece. There are many kinds of performance suggestions. This paper contains some helpful suggestions for pianists with regard to pedaling and fingering, and regarding what Prokofiev called his “modern line” and his “toccata line.”