Rebecca Clarke was born into a family of musicians in 1886. Her father played the cello and her mother the viola. Clarke and his brother were given violins so they could form a family string quartet. She studied violin at the Royal Academy of Music. After refusing a teacher's offer, she continued her studies at the Royal College of Music in London, where she was the first student in composition. At the time, she was studying the violin, but her composition teacher, Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, encouraged her to turn to the viola, both for her musical career and for 20th-century viola compositions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Clarke admired the English composers who studied at Stanford in the decade before she began formal studies with him. The list includes Frank Bridge, Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams. His works are strongly influenced by British composers of the time, often compared to Debussy. Unable to afford to complete his studies, Clarke set out to begin his musical career in London. By this time, all-female chamber ensembles were already beginning to become popular, and she became one of the first professional orchestral players. The majority of her music was written for the all-female chamber music ensemble in which she played and was heavily influenced by the classical music trends of the 20th century. The majority of Clarke's works feature the viola, as she was a professional musician for many years. The Viola Sonata was written in 1919 for a competition in which she placed second after Ernest Bloch, as it was not believed that a woman could write such a stunning piece of music. In the article "But Don't Forget: The Violin, Cello and Piano Trio (1921) and Viola Sonata (1919) Compared", by Bryony Jones, identifies a cyclical approach to motifs, string techniques, military motives. and a harmonic language combining different tones. This shows the influence of Debussy and Ravel in Clarke's composition and the effect of the First World War as reflected in the military motifs. Debussy's impressionistic qualities, lush textures, and modernist harmonies are often mentioned in connection with Clarke's works. The Viola Sonata, published in the same year as the Viola Sonatas of Bloch and Hindemith, is an example of impressionism. It opens with a pentatonic theme, lush harmonies, an emotionally intense nature and a dense, rhythmically complex texture. The first movement, Impetuoso, begins with a viola fanfare, before becoming a harmonic melody. As might be expected from a 20th century sonata, the piece does not adhere to the tonal structures typical of a classical sonata. This piece is at times very chromatic, referencing Debussy's use of modes, diatonic keys, and the octatonic and whole-tone scale. The modal introduction of m.1 to 12 is an improvised type line from the viola over a chord held from the piano. The introduction remains in E Dorian until the start of the main theme in m.13. The use of folk song modes and influences throughout the movement became a practice strongly associated with British music. The introduction has two main functions: to present the two motifs and to establish the mode. The first motif evokes a military character with a dotted rhythm and an open fifth. The second pattern illustrates whole tone intervals. Meanwhile, the piano opens with an ff chord, confirming E as the pitch center. The agreement.