Violist-composer Rebecca Clarke, in addition to being a minority in the compositional world of the early 20th century, was also one of the first women to play in a professional symphony. She studied composition at the Royal College of Music in London under Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, mentor of composers like Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst. Her broadly romantic Viola Sonata was composed in 1919, not long after she settled in the United States (she was English by birth). At the time, it was compared to the works of Ravel and Ernest Bloch; in fact, it tied for first place in a composition competition with a piece by Bloch that same year. Today, the Viola Sonata remains the best-known of Clarke's unfortunately short list of works. For viola and piano. Published by Chester Music. Difficulty: A6