Gryphon | Sonata #1 for violin and guitar by Frank A. Wallace

The Griffin, c. 1485
Martin Schongauer
German, c. 1450-1491
The Art Institute of Chicago

The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and an eagle’s talons as its front feet. Because the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle the king of birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. In antiquity it was considered a guardian of the divine. – Wikipedia

Dedication

Gryphon is dedicated to the memory of Nikos Kapnas, beloved violinist who adopted the Faroe Islands as his home in midlife. He was a majestic and powerful human being, adored by his students, colleagues, friends and family. I knew Nikos for only one week during the summer of 2011. He was the kind of person who made a deep and lasting impression, and so I am grateful for a  glimpse into this passionate man’s life. A gryphon seems a fitting symbol for passion, power and the deep love of life that Nikos enjoyed.

Why Violin

Being both a guitarist and singer throughout my career, I have a love of melody, for singing and the drama of poetry in motion. The violin has the potential to capture that theatrical grandeur without words.

Gryphon grew out of my series of virtuosic solo works named after impressive birds: Caracara, White Albatross, Blue Heron and others. They follow a binary form of slow/fast. This, my first large work for violin, demanded a full sonata form of three movements. My intention is for intense emotion and a full exploration of texture, range and dynamics from both instruments working as equals.

The Name

The first movement, Lion’s Tale, both roars and soars. The violin begins the story with brooding low melodies. The guitar joins with percussive chords and the violin flies higher and higher. As in traditional sonata form, simple motivic themes speak in many different ways and the dialogue continues until the violin breaks off alone. My exploration of textures and exchange of roles continues through the movement. It culminates in a quote and small development of a Machaut tune that has haunted me for four decades called Comment qu’à moy lonteinne.

Eagle’s Talon is a lilting and lyrical waltz that flows in a somewhat breathless fashion. Always searching for resolution, one phrase melds into the next. Motivic elements  exchange between instruments and the happy waltz eventually gives way to a darker conclusion.

The final section, Feather and Claw, again explores the textural possibilities of the instrumentation. Frequent references to previous themes and motives create a non stop merry-go-round of sixteenth notes and off beat accents

Copyright ©2018 Frank A. Wallace
Cover photography and design by Nancy Knowles
All rights reserved.