Piano Trio No. 1 (Schubert)

1828 composition by Franz Schubert

Piano Trio

No. 1
by Franz Schubert

Schubert in 1827

Key| B-flat major
Catalogue| D. 898
Composed| 1828 (1828)
Published| 1836 (1836)
Duration| 40 minutes
Movements| 4

The Trio No. 1 in B-flat major for piano, violin, and cello, D. 898, was written by Franz Schubert in 1827. The composer finished the work in 1828, in the last year of his life.[1][2] It was published in 1836 as Opus 99, eight years after the composer's death. Like the E-flat major trio, it is an unusually large scale work for piano trio, taking around 40 minutes in total to perform.

## Structure

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The piano trio contains four movements:

1. Allegro moderato

The first movement (4/4, B-flat) is in sonata form with two main themes in the exposition. The first theme is characterized by dotted rhythms and irregular phrase lengths, while the second theme by contrast has lyrical melodies and regular phrases. As is typical in a classical piece, the development section expands on both themes, going into remote keys and often becoming turbulent. In the last section of the development, fragmented versions of the main theme are presented in a succession of keys, each closer to the central key than the one before.
2. Andante un poco mosso     The second movement (6/8, E-flat) is in the style of a gondola song with a lilting melody and swaying rhythm. Like some of Schubert's other late slow movements, there is a contrasting section which is more turbulent. Soon after, however, calm is restored.
3. Scherzo. Allegro     The third movement (3/4, B-flat) is in the classical minuet form. The scherzo proper features heavy counterpoint, with the three instruments constantly imitating each other. The trio section is a relaxed waltz.
4. Rondo. Allegro vivace     The principal theme of the last movement (rondo, 2/4, B-flat) resembles that of one of Schubert's songs, "Skolie",[3] although this resemblance might be accidental. A two-bar rhythm is prevalent, giving the marked impression of alla breve time rather than 2/4, almost as if Schubert notated it 2/4 to avoid the frequent syncopations (in the equivalent alla breve, the music starts from the weak beat) which, though sounding smooth in actual performance, look clunky and cumbersome on the score. The sections in 2/4 are interrupted three times by passages in 3/2 time, in the style of a polonaise. These give further credence to the theory that the minim is in fact the basic time unit in this movement. The music ends with a coda marked Presto.

## Discography

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* Alfred Cortot, piano; Jacques Thibaud, violin; Pablo Casals, cello (Kingsway Hall, London, July 5 and 6, 1926; originally released in October 1926 as HMV DB947/50, with US issue as Victor set M 11)[4]
* New York Trio (Clarence Adler, piano; Louis Edlin, violin; Cornelius van Vliet, cello) (May 24, 1928; released late 1928 as Edison Diamond Discs 80898/901; deleted December 31, 1929)[5]
* Eugene Istomin, piano; Isaac Stern, violin; Leonard Rose, cello (1964).[6]
* Trio Dali (Amandine Savary, piano; Jack Liebeck, violin; Christian-Pierre La Marca, cello), (2011).[7]
* Busch Trio (Mathieu van Bellen, violin; Ori Epstein, cello; Omri Epstein, piano), (2022).[8]

## References

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1. ^ Sleeve note of the Supraphon CD (SU 3959-2)
2. ^ Gibbs, Christopher (1997). The Cambridge Companion to Schubert. Cambridge Companions to Music. Cambridge University Press. p. 187.
3. ^ Einstein, Alfred (1951). Schubert: A Musical Portrait. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 278–279.
4. ^ Rob Cowan; Tully Potter (23 January 2018). "Classics reconsidered: Schubert's B flat Trio from Thibaud, Casals and Cortot". Gramophone. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
5. ^ "Losing the Plot", Fluff on the Needle. 16 June 2012
6. ^ Schubert, Franz; Istomin, Eugene; Stern, Isaac; Rose, Leonard (1989), Trio for piano, violin & cello no. 1 in B-flat major op. 99 D 898 = Trio für Klavier, Violine & Violoncello Nr. 1 B-Dur (in German), Frankfurt (Main): CBS-Schallplatten, OCLC 1183489704
7. ^ Schubert, Franz; Trio Dali (2011), Trios ; Sonate "Arpeggione" ; Fantaisie (in no linguistic content), Fuga Libera, OCLC 811454306
8. ^ Schubert, Franz; Palmizio, Daniel; Shaham, Naomi; Trio Busch (2024), Trio opus 99 Forellenquintett (in no linguistic content), [France], [France]: Alpha classics, Outhere music France, OCLC 1437367998

## External links

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* Piano Trio No. 1 (Schubert): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
* Performance of Piano Trio No. 1 by the Eroica Trio from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in MP3 format

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Chamber music by Franz Schubert

Duos|

* For violin and piano
* Sonat(in)as D 384, 385 and 408
* Duo in A major, D 574
* Rondo in B minor, D 895
* Fantasy in C major, D 934
* Arpeggione Sonata, D 821

Trios|

* Sonatensatz for piano trio, D 28
* String Trios D 111A, 471 and 581
* Notturno for piano trio, D 897
* Piano Trio No. 1, D 898
* Piano Trio No. 2, D 929
* "The Shepherd on the Rock", D 965

String
Quartets|

* No. 1, D 18
* No. 2, D 32
* No. 3, D 36
* No. 4, D 46
* No. 5, D 68
* No. 6, D 74
* No. 7, D 94
* Quartettsatz, D 103
* No. 8, D 112
* No. 9, D 173
* No. 10 (Haushaltung), D 87
* No. 11, D 353
* No. 12 (Quartettsatz), D 703
* No. 13 (Rosamunde), D 804
* No. 14 (Death and the Maiden), D 810
* No. 15, D 887

Other|

* Rondo for violin and strings, D 438
* Adagio and Rondo Concertante, D 487
* Trout Quintet, D 667
* Octet, D 803
* String Quintet, D 956

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