Sonate op. 8

In 1915, when Kodály wrote a substantial Sonata for Solo Cello, Bartók commented: "This is not a mere imitation of Bach's polyphonic style". That was praise in several ways. His friend's sonata had nothing to do with what was old and German, but rather it was contemporary and Hungarian. And it was new. With this Sonata Kodaly was one of the first composers to enrich the repertoire for solo cello, since the Bach Solo Suites for cello composed two hundred years earlier. With such a virtuoso piece for a solo instrument, it seems strange why this did not develop into a work for string quartet.