Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778╩1837) is wrongly remembered, first and foremost, as Mozart’s pupil. In his day he was one of the most respected pianists and was also a composer with quite some influence on later generations. It is not known when exactly he composed his viola sonata. It was selfpublished in 1798 in Vienna together with two violin sonatas. Numerous reprints, including ones in France and England, testify to the extraordinary popularity of the sonata, both then and today.