"Who nowadays would remember this strange instrument called the 'guitar-violoncello' had not Franz Schubert written a glamorous and virtuousic sonata for the 'Arpeggione', as he called the instrument?", writes editor Wolf-Dieter Seiffert in the preface of a particular print of this sonata. He raises a valid point: invented in 1823 in Vienna by Johann Georg Staufer, the six-string instrument - fretted and tuned like a guitar, held and bowed like a cello - never quite caught on and quickly went out of fashion - and for a good reason, too, by an account of a former teacher of mine, with whom I recently chatted about this piece. Another music critic even goes so far as to say that the sonata "makes far greater effect when performed on the cello, viola, flute, clarinet or, indeed, virtually any other instrument than the one for which it was conceived."

The "Arpeggione" Sonata's flair and fun for performers and audience alike certainly have played a major role in helping the work survive to the present day despite the original instrument's rapid demise. While the work now also exists in versions for the viola and the violin, the cello version appears to be the most favored one, although the smaller number of strings and lower tuning of the instrument compared to the Arpeggione make a successful performance of the sonata a significant technical challenge.

A lamenting melody played by the piano begins the first movement and is immediately expanded upon by the cello. In stark contrast to it is the second theme group, jovial and dance-like in nature. The movement follows the traditional sonata form: after the presentation of the two theme groups in the exposition section, a development section follows, in which the thematic material is "developed," or transformed in character, color, and other musical aspects. After the recapitulation section, in which the two themes appear once again in almost their original form, a coda section brings back the sorrowful mood of the opening theme and concludes the movement.

The second movement is characterized by long, singing lines. They are rather simple in nature but spread a feeling of warm beauty, providing a charming contrast to the lively music of the first movement. Unfortunately, the movement is also very short, amounting to little more than an introduction to the third movement.

A gentle and swinging tune starts the final movement. It is followed by an energetic B-section, in which some Hungarian influence is noticeable (Schubert spent a summer in Hungary just prior to writing the sonata). A repetition of the first theme group leads to the third section, which alternates between light-hearted arpeggio figures and short melancholic passages. The quick shifts between cheerful and more serious music give this movement a carefree feeling, reminiscent at times of a comic opera.