Thesis (MMus) – Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The sonata for violin and piano has a well-deserved place within chamber music in South Africa. It has always been one of the most prominent chamber music genres within Western art music. Between 1800 and 1900 this genre took up 21% of all composed sonatas at the time. This study provides insight into the situation in South Africa about 100 years later and it provides a critical text analysis of three violin sonatas by three of the most prominent composers of art music in South Africa. These composers are Roelof Temmingh (1993), Peter Klatzow (1996) and Hendrik Hofmeyr (2008). These are the only sonatas for violin and piano written by these three composers. There is a limited amount of violin sonatas in South Africa. A list acquired from SAMRO, statistically the most reliable source of worklists in South Africa, contains only eleven sonatas for violin and piano. These do not even include the violin sonatas of Temmingh and Hofmeyr. The limited amount of sources forces a unique aspect of research method, namely conversations with two of these composers themselves (Klatzow and Hofmeyr). This primary source of information from the two living composers assisted in the analysis of the music. European influences can be seen in all three of these sonatas. The three composers adapt and transform the music to fit their individual use of sonata form. Each of these three works contains three movements, as is customary with traditional sonata form. The second movements function as intermezzi, that leads the narrative through from the first to the last movement. Each of the three composers have their own unique sense of tonality and thematic use. Temmingh uses a main theme that resurfaces throughout the three movements – leading the whole work to sound like one large movement. Klatzow uses complicated thematic structures and thick textures. From these thematic material he extracts smaller parts later in the movement to recapture the essence of the main theme complex and to add unity to the work as a whole. Hofmeyr uses carefully planned structures and this makes his sonata the most structured of the three. His textures are thick and his tessituras are wide, and he is the only one of the three composers who uses key signatures. Like Temmingh he also makes use of a main motto-theme that resurfaces in the last movement adapted to fit the movement’s structure. In terms of the traditional use of form structure these three sonatas fit the 19h century conventions. The main outcome of this study is to introduce these works to especially the younger generation of performers in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Soos menige ander kunsmusiek-genre het ook die (begeleide) vioolsonate ‘n stewige plek in die Suid-Afrikaanse musiek verkry. Die sonate vir viool en klavier is een van die mees prominente kamermusiek-genres in Westerse kunsmusiek. Tussen 1800 en 1900 was soveel as 21% van alle sonates, werke vir viool en klavier. Dit is dus van spesiale belang om kennis te neem ten opsigte van hierdie situasie in Suid-Afrika ongeveer 100 jaar later. Die kern van hierdie tesis is ‘n stylkritiese teksanalise van drie Suid-Afrikaanse vioolsonates deur drie prominente Suid-Afrikaanse komponiste, nl. Roelof Temmingh (1993), Peter Klatzow (1996) en Hendrik Hofmeyr (2008). Met uitsondering van ‘n sonate vir solo viool deur Klatzow, is hierdie werke die enigste vioolsonates deur dié komponiste. Daar is ‘n beperkte aantal vioolsonates in Suid-Afrika. Selfs by SAMRO, wat ‘n aanvaarde statistiese bron van die werkslyste van komponiste in Suid-Afrika is, is daar slegs elf vioolsonates op rekord (dit sluit die vioolsonates van Temmingh en Hofmeyr uit). Die skaarste aan bronne wat oor dié onderwerp handel, dwing die navorser om onderhoude met die oorlewende twee komponiste te voer. Dit is uniek om musiek te kan bespreek met die komponis daarvan. Hierdie primêre bron van inligting vertoon unieke insigte, wat ‘n invloed op die analises van die musiek gehad het. Europese invloede is by al drie komponiste sigbaar. Die toepassings van die struktuurelemente van sonatevorm kom by al drie komponiste voor. Al drie werke is driedelig en die eerste bewegings is almal in aangepaste sonatevorm. Die tweede bewegings vorm deel van ‘n deurloop (ter ondersteuning van die narratief) na die laaste beweging toe en die laaste bewegings sorg by elke werk vir ’n unieke vorm van “konflikoplossing”. Al drie komponiste toon hul eie spesifieke sin vir tonaliteit en tematiek. Temmingh se sonate loop amper as ‘n eenbewegingstruktuur, deur middel van ‘n “motto”-tema, wat deurgaans in dieselfde toonsoort voorkom. Klatzow gebruik ‘n verskeidenheid teksture en tessiture, asook lang temakomplekse, waaruit sekere kleiner motiewe gehaal word om die musiek se eenheidsin weer te gee. Hofmeyr se uiteengesette vormplanne maak sy werk meer gestruktureerd. Ook by hom is die teksture omvangryk, maar sy gebruik van toonsoorttekens (wat afwesig is by die ander twee komponiste) vertoon nie deurgaans die toonsoort waarin die musiek werklik is nie. Hy maak ook van ‘n motto-tema gebruik. Die eerste beweging open daarmee en in die derde beweging keer dit in ‘n aangepaste vorm terug. In terme van die tradisionele Europese vormgebruike, kan hierdie drie vioolsonates onder 19de-eeuse kunsmusiek geklassifiseer word. Hierdie studie poog om ‘n bydrae te maak tot die bekendstelling van hierdie werke by veral jong musici in Suid-Afrika.