“…The Sonata in A minor for violin and piano op. 34 is one of the most important American chamber music works. It is a masterpiece worthy of study and performance. “The opening of the first movement recalls the opening of Beethoven’s ninth symphony; the delightful scherzo has Haydn’s humor; the chromaticism in the trio is probably influenced by Fauré or Franck’s violin sonata; the monothematic form inherits Wagner’s rich and endless melodies in the third movement; its use of motivic figures for thematic development instead of the entire theme is similar to that of Brahms; the grand passages in the finale are probably influenced by Liszt’s virtuoso writing in his concertos, creating an orchestral sound,” says Yixuan Huang in her dissertation:
Amy Beach’s Sonata For Violin and Piano in A Minor, op. 34: analysis and its Implications for violin Performance (2023)