An ever-evolving list. Last updated 24 February 2012.
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PREMIERES & DEDICATIONS
Atterberg, Kurt – Violin Concerto – Premiere given by Alma Moodie (1919)
Barber – Violin Concerto – UK premiere given by Eda Kersey in 1943; revised version of the score that violinists use today premiered by Ruth Posselt in 1949
Bartók – Violin Concerto No. 1 – Written for his first love, virtuosa Stefi Geyer
Bartók – Violin Sonata No. 1 and No. 2 (Sz 75 and 76) – There is some question as to whether these works were dedicated to Adila Fachiri or Jelly d’Aranyi; the latter performed them with the composer in London in 1922 and 1923, respectively.
Bax – Violin Concerto – Premiered by Eda Kersey in 1943
Beach, Amy – Romance – Written for and premiered by Maud Powell in 1895
Benjamin, Arthur – Romantic Fantasy for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra – Premiered by Eda Kersey in 1938
Coleridge-Taylor – Violin Concerto – Dedicated to and premiered by Maud Powell in 1912
Copland – Violin Sonata – Premiered by Ruth Posselt with Copland at the piano in 1944
Conus – Violin Concerto in e-minor – American premiere given by Maud Powell
Delius – Violin Sonata No 3 – Dedicated to May Harrison
Delius – Double Concerto (for violin and cello) – Premiered by sisters May and Beatrice Harrison in 1920
Dukelsky, Vladimir – Violin Concerto – Premiered by Ruth Posselt in 1943
Dvořák – Violin Concerto – American premiere given by Maud Powell in 1893
Eichberg, Julius – Dedicated six parlor pieces to six of his most famous female students – find them here
Elgar – Violin Concerto – First played through in private performance with Lady Leonora Speyer on violin; first recording made by Marie Hall in 1916
Erdmann, Eduard – Sonata for Solo Violin, op 12 – Dedicated to Alma Moodie
Gade, Niels – Violin Sonata No. 3 – Dedicated to Wilma Norman-Neruda in 1885
Hindemith – Violin Concerto – New York premiere made by Ruth Posselt in 1941
Hill, Edward Burlingame – Violin Concerto – premiered by Ruth Posselt in 1939
Holst – Concerto for Two Violins – Written for sisters Jelly d’Aranyi and Adila Fachiri in 1930
Hubay – Violin Concerto No. 4 – Dedicated to his student Stefi Geyer in 1908
Krenek, Ernst – Sonata for Solo Violin – Dedicated to Alma Moodie in 1924
Moeran, Ernest John – Violin Sonata – Premiered by Eda Kersey in 1923
Mozart – Sonata in B-flat, K 454 – Written for and premiered by Regina Strinasacchi Schlick in 1784
Pfitzner, Hans – Violin Concerto, op 34 – Dedicated to and premiered by Alma Moodie in 1923
Piston, Walter – Violin Concerto No. 1 – Written for and premiered by Ruth Posselt in 1940
Poulenc – Violin Sonata – Written for and premiered by Ginette Neveu in 1943
Prokofiev – Five Melodies; the third is dedicated to violinist Cecilia Hansen
Ravel – Violin Sonata – Dedicated to Hélène Jourdan-Morhange in 1922
Ravel – Sonata for Violin and Cello – Premiered by Hélène Jourdan-Morhange on violin in 1922
Ravel – Tzigane – Written for, dedicated to, and premiered by Jelly d’Aranyi in 1924
Saint-Saëns – Fantasie for violin and harp, op 124 – Dedicated to Clara and Marianne Eissler (Clara was a harpist; Marianne a violinist) in 1907
Sarasate – Romanza Andaluza; Jota Navarra – Dedicated to Wilma Norman-Neruda (later Lady Hallé) in 1878
Schoeck, Othmar – Violin Concerto – Written for Stefi Geyer in 1910-11
Schoeck, Othmar – Violin Sonata No. 1 – Written for Stefi Geyer in 1908-9
Schumann – Violin Concerto – Joachim’s grand-nieces, Jelly d’Aranyi and Adila Fachiri, received word of the manuscript in a séance with Joachim. d’Aranyi played the London premiere in late 1937 or early 1938.
Scott, Cyril – Danse from Deux preludes – Dedicated to Daisy Kennedy in 1912
Scott, Cyril – Violin Sonata No. 1 – Dedicated to and premiered by Ethel Barns in 1908
Sibelius – Violin Concerto – Maud Powell premiered this piece in America in 1906
Stravinsky – “Suite from themes, fragments, and pieces by Pergolesi” – Premiered by Alma Moodie (and Stravinsky) in 1925
Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto – American premiere given by Maud Powell in 1889
Vaughan-Williams – The Lark Ascending – Written for Marie Hall in 1914
Vaughan-Williams – Concerto Academico – Dedicated to Jelly d’Aranyi in 1925
Vivaldi – His work was played by women performers at his school Ospedale della Pietà in the early 1700s
Vivaldi – Violin concertos RV 387, 343, 229, 349, 248, 366 – Vivaldi wrote these six violin concertos especially for his protege Anna Maria della Pietà (I don’t believe they are available in a modern edition, but I could be wrong on this; you can see the manuscripts for some of them on IMSLP). Apparently he wrote even more for her but I can’t figure out which ones they were. Research fail. But I’ll get on that, ASAP.
Wieniawski – Gigue, Op. 23 – Dedicated to Wilma Norman-Neruda (later Lady Hallé) in 1880
Wieniawski – Capriccio Valse, Op 7 – Dedicated to Adalbert Wilkoszerwski and Teresa Milanollo in 1854
Wilson, Stanley – Violin Concerto – Premiered by Eda Kersey in 1930
Wolf-Ferrari, Ermanno – Violin Concerto – Written for Guila Bustabo in 1946
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FAMOUS PERFORMANCES
Bach – Double Concerto for Two Violins – Wilma Norman-Neruda (later Lady Hallé) and Joseph Joachim performed this together in London
Beethoven – Kreutzer Sonata – played by Wilma Norman-Neruda (later Lady Hallé) and her husband Charles Hallé in South Africa; their performance was so successful that after it was over, the concert was adjourned
De Beriot – Airs Variée – (don’t know which one) – Performed by Camilla Urso as a child at her recital debut
Beethoven – Violin Concerto – Maud Powell played it with Gustav Mahler on the podium in 1909
Brahms – Violin Concerto – played by Marie Soldat, a friend of Brahms’s; Brahms helped her find her del Gesù violin, which is now being played by Rachel Barton Pine; Gabriele Wietrowitz also played it to great acclaim
Bruch – Violin Concerto No 1 – Maud Powell made her New York Philharmonic debut with it; Teresina Tua made her American debut with it
Elgar – Violin Concerto – First played through in private performance with Lady Leonora Speyer on violin; first recording made by Marie Hall
Elgar – Violin Sonata – After playing it through with his last love Vera Hockman, he referred to it as “our sonata”
Fauré – Violin Sonata in A-major – Lady Leonora Speyer played it with Fauré on the piano in 1909
Grieg – Violin Sonata in c-minor – Inspired by Teresina Tua; played by Wilma Norman-Neruda (later Lady Hallé) with the composer at the piano
Ives – Violin Sonata No. 2 – Patricia Travers made the first complete recording in 1951
Neruda, Franz – Berceuse Slave, op. 11 – Played by Franz’s sister, the famous virtuosa Wilma Norman-Neruda (later Lady Hallé)
Ravel – Piano Trio – Ravel met his friend and muse Hélène Jourdan-Morhange for the first time when he saw her in a performance of this work
Rode – Violin Concerto No. 4 – According to the Victorian book Camilla: A Tale of a Violin, Camilla Urso played the second and third movements of this piece as her audition for the Paris Conservatoire at the age of seven.
Strauss – Violin Sonata – Leonora von Stosch (later Lady Speyer) played this with Strauss at the piano in the summer of 1914, right on the eve of WWI
Vieuxtemps – Ballade and Polonaise – Teresina Tua often played this piece in concerts in Europe and America
Vieuxtemps – Yankee Doodle Variations – Played by Wilma Norman-Neruda (later Lady Hallé) as a child when she made her debut in England
Vieuxtemps – Fantasie-Caprice op 11 – Marie Soldat made her debut with this piece
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VIOLIN WORKS BY WOMEN
Barns, Ethel – Violin Concertos – Violinist, pianist, and composer Ethel Barns wrote at least two violin concertos and many other pieces. Unfortunately the scores are difficult to find today.
Amanda Maier (alternately, Amanda Röntgen-Maier) – Violin Sonata – Maier, a friend of Brahms and Grieg, wrote this lovely sonata in 1874.
Maddalena Laura Sirmen – Duo for 2 Violins in C-major – written by one of the first professional female violinists
Maddalena Laura Sirmen – wrote six violin concertos; one was praised by Leopold Mozart as being “beautifully written” in a letter to his son in 1778
*Note that Maud Powell arranged many pieces and had many more dedicated to her. Thanks to the work of the Maud Powell Society and Rachel Barton Pine, these pieces have been resurrected. If you are interested, visit the Maud Powell Society’s website for more information.
Song of the Lark 