Hierarchical Form In Prokofiev’s Flute Sonata Op. 94, II. Scherzo

When Prokofiev wrote the Flute Sonata Op. 94, Soviet composers were torn between their own artistic styles and the need to conform to the ideals of “soviet realism.” In the second movement of the flute sonata, Prokofiev alternates between his own style of composition and the “soviet realism” style. The displaced chromaticism throughout the piece, although adopted by other Soviet composers of this period, is representative of Prokofiev’s individual style. Within this movement, Prokofiev uses form as a basis for making distinction between harmonic ambiguity and stability, motivic repetition and lyricism, and phrase expansion and phrase regularity. Although the form of this movement is traditional in its harmonic relationship and small and large-scale structures, Prokofiev uses the form in a way that facilitates his relationship between his own compositional desires and the political constraints of the Soviet style.