MR was reluctant to comment on his actual composition practice. Do read his very first letter to us in PMS 1. It describes the composition of the Tripartita and is actually quite funny in its opacity. We know that he considered privacy and a degree of seclusion to be important. After 1953 he sought to work in his semi-isolated Italian retreat, far from the noise and "static" of Hollywood. However, the 1948 Sonata was indeed composed in Hollywood. It is one of the few major pieces he was able to complete during that busy decade, when he was working to establish a career and a family.

The most detailed commentary on the Piano Sonata is contained in Malcolm MacDonald's notes for the most recent (excellent) recording by Martin Perry (Bridge 9390). Christopher Palmer has some useful remarks in his 1975 book and elsewhere.

For serious musical analyses try searching the words "dissertation" and "thesis" in the Forum. There have been several such projects. The recent one on Rozsa's works for cello (Indiana University) seems to be very thorough and intelligent.

Best wishes for your project, Hugo.