Prelude Clocking in at around 10 minutes, the very title Prelude seems a bit misleading. It is, in fact, a fully-fledged sonata movement, complete with developmental fugue (!), and is the largest in scale, texture, and density of any of the movements.

Emily Kruspe, violin Asher Ian Armstrong, piano The Violin Sonata (1886) is Franck's most famous work. Because of its popularity and quality, it has been adopted by nearly every instrument (cello, flute, clarinet, even alto sax and double bass!). The piece is sometimes jokingly referred to as the "Frank Sinatra," perhaps indicative of how universally known it is.

César Franck (1822-1890) is an interesting figure in Western Classical Music. Born a Belgian (his mother was German), he showed talent for music and was pushed very hard by his father, who hoped to become rich and famous through his son's gifts.