Sonata Mulattica

Sonata Mulattica : A Life in Five Movements and a Short Play
AuthorRita Dove
PublisherW. W. Norton
ISBN978-0393338935

Sonata Mulattica : A Life in Five Movements and a Short Play is a collection of poems by U.S. poet laureate Rita Dove, published in 2009, about the life of George Bridgetower.[1] Bridgetower was a biracial (Afro-Caribbean, Polish, German) musician who was friends with Beethoven.[2][3][4][5][6] Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata was originally dedicated to Bridgetower, and was originally entitled "Sonata mulattica composta per il mulatto Brischdauer [Bridgetower], gran pazzo e compositore mulattico" (Mulatto Sonata composed for the mulatto Brischdauer, big wild mulatto composer)[7]

Dove said that she relied on documents such as the diary of Charlotte Papendiek, lady-in-waiting to the wife of George III, and whose husband Christopher Papendiek was one of the king's court musicians and helped to arrange concerts for Bridgetower.[8] However, as not much information is available about Bridgetower's life, or details regarding the incident regarding the Sonata, Dove's work is mostly her own imagined version of events.[9]

The book consists of five "movements", each a group of poems about a particular theme,[10] as well as a short play.

  1. ^ Lee, Felicia R. (2009-04-02). "Poet's Muse: A Footnote to Beethoven". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  2. ^ Lucas, Demetria L. (2009-04-29). "Rita Dove's 'Sonata Mulattica'". Theroot.com. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
  3. ^ "The Leonard Lopate Show: Sonata Mulattica". WNYC. 2009-11-20. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
  4. ^ "Renowned poet tells UD audience story behind her recent book 'Sonata Mulattica'". Udel.edu. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
  5. ^ "Sonata Mulattica by Rita Dove". Oprah.com. 2009-03-23. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
  6. ^ Dove, Rita (2009-04-13). "Poet Rita Dove Tells Of Beethoven's Return". NPR. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
  7. ^ "George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower, Black Violinist Accompanied by Beethoven". homestead.com.
  8. ^ Lee, Felicia R. (2009-04-02). "Rita Dove's 'Sonata Mulattica,' Poetry About a Biracial 18th-Century Violin Virtuoso". The New York Times.
  9. ^ Righelato, Pat (2009). "Project MUSE - Sonata Mulattica (review)". Jhu.edu. 32 (4): 1373–1378. doi:10.1353/cal.0.0513. S2CID 161131832.
  10. ^ "Opera News Review-Sonata Mulattica-June 2010". virginia.edu.