Liliana Chai age 16 Award Winning Performance of the Complete Janacek 1 October 1905 Sonata

Leoš Janáček's *Piano Sonata 1.X.1905*, often simply referred to as the *1905 Sonata*, commemorates the tragic death of a worker named František Pavlík during a political demonstration in Brno, Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic) on October 1, 1905. The protest was part of a larger movement advocating for the establishment of a Czech-language university in Brno, which faced resistance from German-speaking authorities. When tensions escalated, Pavlík, a young carpenter, was fatally wounded by Austrian soldiers while peacefully supporting the cause.

Janáček, deeply affected by this incident, composed the sonata as an emotional tribute to Pavlík and as a protest against the injustice he witnessed. Originally, the sonata consisted of three movements titled “Presentiment,” “Death,” and “Funeral March.” However, Janáček later destroyed the final movement, leaving only the first two movements—**“Presentiment”** and **“Death”**—which together express a mix of sorrow, anger, and reflective sadness.

The sonata is marked by a raw, intense style typical of Janáček, conveying both personal grief and a sense of communal loss. The piece's dissonant harmonies and abrupt tonal shifts serve to capture the emotional impact of the event on both the composer and the community. Despite its brief length, the sonata remains one of Janáček's most poignant works, embodying his commitment to national pride and social justice through music.