Ellington Sonata was commissioned by Bertram Turetzky soon after we met at the Charles Ives Center for American Music in 1982. Impressed by Turetzky's virtuoso classical technique, and his interest in jazz, I was convinced that any piece I wrote for him must include elements of both.

This work is my answer to that challenge. Each of the three movements refers to a specific Duke Ellington song - either its harmony, melody, or rhythm, separately or in combination. Some references are on the surface and are easy to hear; others are contained within the substructure and are less obvious.

The first movement, Adagio/Allegro, alternates slow passages almost entirely in double-stop harmonics with faster sections that ultimately transform into a reference to "Satin Doll." The second movement, Andante, includes first harmonic and later melodic quotations from "Sophisticated Lady." The last movement, Allegro, is the most virtuosic. With many double- and triple-stops in the high register, it presents, in a very declamatory manner, various aspects of "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me."

-- R.C.