Piano trios were a mainstay of 19th-century chamber music. Members have accordingly discussed trios by numerous unsung composers, including:
Bache, Berens, Fesca, Franck (Eduard), Gernsheim, Goldenweiser, Hägg, Höller, Jacobsson, Klauwell,
Labor, Laurischkus, Lux, Merikanto, Mikorey, Neumann-Cordua, Reber, Reingle (Caroline), Rimsky-Korsakov, Sellergren, Spohr. de la Tombelle, Walthew, Weigl, and Zelenski among many many others.
I would add to this list the Piano Trio, opus 5, by Max Bruch. There is nothing tentative about this early work, first performed publicly in 1857. Had Schumann heard it, one imagines he would have praised Bruch nearly as highly as he praised Brahms in 1853.
In my view, Raff's Piano Trio no. 1 is one of his finest works and a pinnacle of romantic chamber music. It's a highly charged, urgent work with some beautiful and geniunely memorable melodic writing. His fourth work in the genre is a sunnier affair, but it boasts a slow movement of great gravitas.
No discussion of unsung piano trios could be complete without mention of Arensky's two, which are passionate, energetic works that draw upon Slavic as well as Germanic sources.
However, my favorite unsung piano trio is Novak's Trio quasi una ballatta, a grippingly powerful, even tragic work filled with wistful melodic yearning. It sure packs a lot of action into its 16-minute duration!
I like the responses - great reasons!
Taneyev's unsung piano trio in D Op.22 will be performed at Conway Hall on February 2nd by the Barbican trio.
relatively unsung is Beethoven's aborted 1815 effort, Piano Trio in f minor. I have a recording of the first movement as far as it goes - very interesting - he was on a very different path from his other trios when he abandoned it. It has mystical elements, strange harmonies, dark, deep, mysterious, and compelling as far as it goes.
I second the Arensky opus 1 - been on the desert island list since my first hearing.
I searched for the reference to the Reingle thread mentioed above but can not find any reference to her in the forum. Am i missing something here??
jerry
What, no Chaminade? Her Piano Trio No. 1 is an absolutely marvelous piece, especially the first movement. It's the perfect fir for that thread from a little while ago about unsung melodies that get stuck in your head.
It's probably my loss that I've largely overlooked Chaminade's music (though I've been intrigued by her choral symphony Les Amazones). Which recording of her piano trio(s) would you recommend?
Not sure how many there are, but I own two. One is on Dorian (I believe) that has Ravel and Saint-Saens #1 with it. The other is on ASV which also has Chaminade's #2 and a four arrangements of piano pieces. The former is probably the better recording of said piece.
Thanks for your response! I'm tempted to go with the ASV recording so as to avoid further duplication with the Ravel and Saint-Saens trios, though...
I find Ignaz Lachner's 6 piano trios, where a viola takes the place of the more usual cello, all very enjoyable, especially no. 1 in B flat and No. 4 in D minor, both of which can be found and listened to at the Noteworthy Scriptoriam, where I uploaded my Noteworthy transcriptions of the scores.
Another brilliant work for the more normal combination with cello is, in my opinion, William Hurlstone's trio in G, also available on the Noteworthy Scriptoriam.
If you like good, mid-19th century piano trios there is a fine Classico CD of the Eskar trio performing works by Emil Hartmann (son of JPE), Peter Heise and Christian Barnekow. All three works are solidly within the Mendelssohnian idiom favoured by Danish composers of the period. Nothing earth-shattering, but fine, well-crafted melodious trios. Even a bit old-fashioned for their time - there aren't many hints even of Brahms in them. But then Brahms was intensely unpopular in Copenhagen after voicing strong support for Bismarck during a visit only four years after Denmark's defeat in the Dano-Prussian war of 1864.
There's also Reicha's piano trios, which are very much what one would expect -- tuneful early romantic pleasures. Long OOP on CD though.
Well, re Barnekow, the trio's his op.1 anyway. (I'm curious what some of his later works - piano quartet, string quintet, violin sonata- sound like (one can see them on IMSLP, but I'm not that good at hearing from reading). But yes, another thread.)
Reingle thread: that's because her name is misspelt. It's Caroline Reinagle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Reinagle) (Orger).
Apart from the Foote, have any of the works you mention so persuasively been recorded, Ken?
Haven't listened to it in ages, but I recall being impressed by the Piano Trio in A by Toivo Kuula. Long work. Some good melodies. Pity he died so young.
Jerry
Hi Ken, you mention a composer by the name of Kroeger. Are you, by any chance, referring to American composer Ernest Richard Kroeger (1862-c.1934)? I've been intrigued by his music ever since coming across a couple very attractive piano works of his in an old book. According to a bio included in that ancient collection, Kroeger composed a Symphony in B flat, a PC in E-flat, a Suite for Orchestra in C, four overtures, four string quartets, two string quintets, two piano trios, a piano quartet, sonatas for violin, viola, and cello, a Piano Sonata in D-flat, a Suite for Piano in F minor, twelve Concert Studies for piano as well as numerous miniatures and songs. On the basis of the piano works of his I've played (esp. the passionate, melodic Declaration), he definitely seems like a composer worth the record companies' time!
Mark,
To answer your question about any recordings of those mentioned trios...negative. Unfortunately, the powers that be have seen fit to ignore them. Hopefully, this will soon change, after all...recordings of Foote, Chadwick, Beach, Parker etc. are now being recorded. Hopefully, this trend will continue. Tragically, some of the scores (autographs never published) are actually rotting away in major libraries. Once they are gone. Well, I think you get my point.
I should have also mentioned other well forgotten American composers of in my last post. J. C. Moller (granted, he is a little bit of a stretch...German/British/American), but he finally came to this county, settled here and made it his final home not to mention resting place. Louis A. Coerne should be on that list. Joseph Taws' "Air and Variations" is the earliest known (at least to me) piano trio written by a native grown, reared and trained American composer...published in the 1820s. Granted, it is not a work of genius but it holds a spot of historic worth...also, it is just downright good fun to play. If you are a pianist and have facile hands capable of extremely rapid runs (both treble and bass) give it a try...you might get hooked. Finally, John West's Trio in D Major should be mentioned; it is a lengthy, wonderful composition, not quite the equal of Foote but pretty darn close.
LateRomantic75,
Yes, my Kroeger and your Kroeger are one and the same. You hit the nail on the head when you speak of the quality of his work. He was a remarkably gifted and brilliant composer. Yes, he wrote two piano trios but only the second trio still exists. I will presume the first trio is lost since his entire archive is in one location and only the second (in manuscript) is present. In my previous post I mentioned rotting scores...well this is one such case. I recently contacted the university where the collection is kept and asked about acquiring a copy of said trio. A few days later the curator of the music reproduction archive division contacted me and told me the score was rotting and falling apart. Fortunately for music lovers, this was caught before total destruction occurred. They also went through all of his other manuscripts. Getting back to the musical aspects of this trio, plain and simple...it borders on genius. The first movement (unusually short) is bursting with unbridled passion. The second, a well planned out intermezzo; it is slightly disturbing and creepy in an impish sort of way. The third is almost choral-like in places and well developed. The fourth, is a lengthy movement. It opens with a slow progression of chords which give way to a soaring but playful theme which effortlessly turns into a long, majestic and dramatic section of development. This gives way to a romance/prayer-like central section which is searingly (is there such a word?) beautiful. The whole lot is then shuffled up, developed and just when you think it is reaching the final climax, Kroeger has a little joke for the listener by restating a giddy version of the opening playful theme (3 measures), a rapidly rising run and bang...finis! While this composition equals the Foote, op.5, it is technically easier for all three players.
Where is the Kroeger archive, please?
No worries. Found it.
Many thanks, Ken, for your extensive reply. That trio sounds nothing if not tantalizing!
Gareth Vaughan,
Might one inquire as to your interest in Kroeger?
I would like to see the Piano Concerto. It might be possible to get Hyperion interested in it.
Gareth Vaughan,
Sounds like a wonderful project. If memory serves, being a pianist, the full score is there. Hopefully, it is in good condition. I dealt with an exceptionally helpful gentleman there. Bradley Short, Music Librarian, Gaylord Music Library, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, (314) 935-5529. His email is: short@wustl.edu. I hope this helps.
Many thanks. According to the catalog, the full score and orchestral parts are present.
Might make a nice coupling for the Horace Wadham Nicholl concerto, though that will require a set of parts and a nice, legible conductor's score...We've discussed this piece in an earlier thread. There's also a wonderful Nicholl Piano Trio, which I copied out and made parts for about 30 years ago (and is hopefully still somewhere in the trackless wilderness of my apartment...
David
David,
I assume the Nicholl you speak of is the one found in New York Public Library?
The very one. It now occurs to me that I copied only the first movement of Nicholl's trio, with the idea of interesting my ex-wife's trio in it...but we got divorced before that could happen! the Nicholl piece I copied out in whole was the string quartet (mind-bending double fugue for the last movement, that one...)
What a lot of work it was :P ... that was before really good music-copying software, of course.
David
I shouldn't have forgotten Volkmar Andreae's marvelous Piano Trio no. 2! It's an eclectic yet personal work, drawing from influences as diverse as Brahms, Faure, and Impressionism. Despite its eclectic nature, it is a cohesive and powerful work. Andreae's first piano trio is a more through-and-through Brahmsian affair, but its melodic invention and sheer exuberance puts it above many other Brahms-influenced chamber works of the time in my book (e.g. those by von Herzogenberg, which I'm afraid don't do much for me).
Quotethose by von Herzogenberg, which I'm afraid don't do much for me
...whereas I'm just grateful to have yet more wonderfully composed works written in the central Austro-German tradition.
Carl Loewe's Grand trio (published in 1830) is pretty good (but I don't think it's available commercially; I've heard it from a radio recording which one of the members here sent me a bit back. Haven't listened to it in awhile, unfortunately; shall try to rectify that and be more specific than, well, "pretty good".) Magnard's piano trio I seem to recall being a typical work of his though not as good as his later symphonies or string quartet, but still a very good work (again, haven't heard it in awhile, will try to fix -that- too); Bronsart's G minor (with its maybe somewhat Chopin-funeral-reminiscent, violin in its lowest register (at first), slow movement, just for instance) - and (I'm guessing I probably should only be mentioning one...) Alkan's now several-times-recorded trio in G minor (and quite inventive, though probably the least of his 3 better-known chamber works (not counting, say, a parrot funeral march)- still, the slow movement, where the piano holds off until late in the movement, is quite something, e.g.) is also one I shouldn't be forgetting...