SOLO VIOLIN MUSIC
Contemporary Music for Solo Violin
The solo violin has long been a medium for intimate expression, capable of carrying both personal reflection and collective memory. Lior Navok’s In Memoriam (Yizkor) continues this tradition with a contemporary elegy written in response to the tragic events of October 7, 2023. Through fragile lines, suspended tones, and moments of quiet intensity, the piece offers a space for remembrance and contemplation within the modern solo‑violin repertoire.
In Memoriam (Yizkor)
for unaccompanied violin
Duration:
4 minutes
Instrumentation:
violin solo
Year Composed:
2023
Out of respect for the subject's sensitivity, the sheet music for In Memoriam is provided at no cost.
Related Music:
Program Notes
In Memoriam (Yizkor) is a work for solo violin (a version for viola is also available) that I wrote following the tragic October 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel and the Gaza war that followed. As the world leans more and more toward the violent and uncertain, this piece serves as a global musical elegy.
Abstract
In Memoriam (Yizkor) is a work for solo violin (also available in a viola version) composed in the aftermath of the tragic October 7, 2023 terror attack in Israel and the Gaza war that followed. As the world leans further into violence and uncertainty, the piece serves as a global musical elegy, reflecting on loss, fragility, and the need to remember. The violin’s solitary voice becomes a vessel for mourning and resilience, tracing gestures that hover between lament, silence, and quiet endurance. This work stands as a contemporary contribution to the solo‑violin repertoire of remembrance, shaped by grief yet reaching toward a universal human response.
About Contemporary Solo Violin Works of Remembrance
The solo violin has a unique ability to convey vulnerability and introspection. Contemporary memorial pieces often use the instrument’s exposed sound to explore themes of loss, memory, and emotional resilience. With its unaccompanied voice, the violin becomes both storyteller and witness, offering performers a deeply personal medium for reflection and expressive nuance.
Related Repertoire for Solo Violin (Unaccompanied Violin)
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Béla Bartók, Sonata for Solo Violin, 1944
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Elliott Carter, Four Lauds, 1999-2000
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Anna Clyne, Rest These Hands, 2014
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John Corigliano, The Red Violin Caprices, 1997
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Nicolaus A. Huber, ...aus Schmerz und Trauer..., 1982
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Alfred Schnittke, A Paganini, 1982
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Igor Stravinsky, Elegy, 1944
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Eugène Ysaÿe, Sonata for Solo Violin No. 2 "Jacques Thibaud," 1923
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Eugène Ysaÿe, Sonata for Solo Violin No. 3 "Georges Enescu" ("Ballade"), 1923
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Eugène Ysaÿe, Sonata for Solo Violin No. 4 "Fritz Kreisler," 1923
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Eugène Ysaÿe, Sonata for Solo Violin No. 6 "Manuel Quiroga," 1923