A string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. From at least the 19th century on, the term "string trio" with otherwise unspecified instrumentation normally refers to the combination violin, viola and cello. The classical string trio emerged during the mid-18th century and later expanded into four subgenres: the grand trio, the concertant trio, the brilliant trio, and the Hausmusik trio.

Early historyEdit

The earliest string trio, found during the mid 18th century, consisted of two violins and a cello, a grouping which had grown out of the Baroque trio sonata. Over the course of the late 18th century, the string trio scored for violin, viola, and cello came to be the predominant type.<ref name=":0">Tilmouth, Michael (2001). “String trio”. Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press, 2001.</ref> String trios scored for two violins and viola were also used, although much less frequently.<ref name=":1">Brook, Barry S. (1983). “Haydn's String Trios: A Misunderstood Genre.” Current Musicology. 36: 61-77.</ref> The term "string trio" was not used until the late 19th century. The genre was previously referred to as divertimento a tre, sonate a tre, and terzetto.<ref name=":1" /> French composers sometimes used Trietti or Conversazioni a tré to name their trios.<ref name=":2">Herschel Baron, John. Intimate Music: A History of the Idea of Chamber Music. Stuyvesant: Pendragon Press, 1998.</ref> The early classical string trio generally consisted of three movements, although four, five and six movement trios were later written.<ref name=":0" /> Most movements were in binary form, although some of Joseph Haydn's trios were written as theme and variations. The violins shared the important thematic material, while the cello maintained an accompanimental role.<ref name=":2" />

Later historyEdit

During the mid to late 18th century, a couple of developments occurred in the genre. The changes included the absence of a figured bass, the equal treatment of all voices (as opposed to the top voice dominating the musical texture), and the use of sonata form in the first movement.<ref name=":2" /> These early developments paved the way for the genre to further expand into four specific types: the grand trio, the concertant trio, the brilliant trio, and the Hausmusik trio.<ref name=":2" />

Grand trioEdit

The grand trio was a product of South Germany and Austria. It was modeled after the mid to late 18th century serenade and nocturne.<ref name=":2" /> One of the best-known examples that legitimized the grand trio is Mozart’s Divertimento in E-flat, K. 563. Inspired by the piece, Beethoven set out to write String Trio in E-flat, Op. 3.<ref name=":2" />

Concertant trioEdit

The concertant trio was created in France, consists of two movements, and all three voices are used equally in the texture. The first movement is usually in binary or sonata form. Giuseppe Cambini was the leading composer of the genre.<ref name=":2" /> Some of his works include 3 trios concertants pour violon alto et violoncelle, Op. 2 and 6 trios concertants pour Deux Violons et Basse, Op. 18.

Brilliant trioEdit

The brilliant trio became the most popular string trio in France in the 19th century due to its virtuosic passages featured in the first violin part.<ref name=":2" /> The trio consists of three movements, organized in a fast-slow-fast pattern, and the first movement is written in sonata form. The first composer to use "brilliant" in the genre was Rudolph Kreutzer in his pieces 3 Trios brillants, Op. 15 and Op. 16.<ref name=":2" />

Hausmusik trioEdit

The Hausmusik trio was intended for amateurs and student musicians. It was regarded as a pedagogical tool intended as preparation for the grand trio, the brilliant trio, and the string quartet.<ref name=":2" /> Some examples of the Hausmusik trio include 6 Trios progressives, Op. 28 by Franz Anton Hoffmeister and 3 Trios faciles et progressives, Op. 43 by Franz Alexander Pössinger.

List of string triosEdit

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Violin, viola, celloEdit

Composer Composition
Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736–1809) Template:Plain list
Georges Aperghis (born 1945) Faux mouvement (1995)
J.S. Bach (1685–1750) Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (1741) (Arr. by Dmitry Sitkovetsky, in memoriam Glenn Gould)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) Template:Plain list
Wilhelm Berger (1861–1911) String Trio in G minor, Op. 69
Lennox Berkeley (1903–1989) Trio for strings, Op. 19 (1944)
Howard Blake (born 1938) String Trio, Op. 199
Luigi Boccherini (1743–1805) String Trios, G 95–100 and G 107–112
Carlos Chávez (1899–1978) Invención II (1965)
Friedrich Cerha (1926–2023) 9 Bagatellen (2008)

Zebra Trio (2010)

Justin Connolly (1933–2020) String Trio, Op. 43 (2009–10)
Arnold Atkinson Cooke (1906–2005) String Trio D51 (1950)
Jean Cras (1879–1932) Trio pour violon, alto et violoncelle (1926)
Johann Nepomuk David (1895–1977) Trio G-Dur (DK 267), Trio Werk 33/1, Nicoló Amati gewidmet, Trio Werk 33/2, Antonio Stradivari gewidmet, Trio Werk 33/3, Guarneri del Gesú gewidmet, Trio Werk 33/4, Jacobus Stainer gewidmet
Matthew Davidson (born 1964) Music for String Trio (2006) Template:Harv
Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739–1799) Template:Plain list
Ernő Dohnányi (1877–1960) Serenade in C major, Op. 10
Gottfried von Einem (1918–1996) Template:Plain list
Anders Eliasson (1947–2013) Trio per archi "Ahnungen" (2013)
George Enescu (1881–1955) Aubade, for violin, viola, and cello (Allegretto grazioso)
Karlheinz Essl (born 1960) à trois/seul (1998)
Joseph Leopold Eybler (1765–1846) Template:Plain list
Magdeleine Boucherit le Faure (1879–1960) Impressions. Suite for Violin, Viola and Cello. Paris: Éditions Salabert, 1933.
Brian Ferneyhough (born 1943) String Trio (1995)
Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) Prelude and Fugue for String Trio (1938)
Jean Françaix (1912–1997) String Trio in C major, Op. 2
Jürg Frey (1953-) Template:Plain list
Robert Fuchs (1847–1927) String Trio in A major, Op. 94
Template:Ill (1756–1820) String Trios, Op. 2, Nos. 1–6
Yefim Golyshev (1897–1970) String Trio, Zwölftondauer-Komplexe (twelve-tone-duration complex) (1925)
Jorge Grundman (born 1961) Template:Plain list
Sofia Gubaidulina (born 1931) String Trio
John Harbison (born 1938) String Trio (2013)
Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) String Trio in B major, Hob. V:8 (1765)
Swan Hennessy (1866–1929) Petit trio celtique, Op. 52 (1921)
Heinrich von Herzogenberg (1843–1900) String Trios, Op. 27, Nos. 1 & 2
Paul Hindemith (1895–1963) Template:Plain list
Gilad Hochman (born 1982) Brief Memories for String Trio (2004) Template:Harv.
Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754–1812) Terzetto Scholastico Streichtrio
Vagn Holmboe (1909–1996) Gioco (Game) for string trio (1983)
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837) Template:Plain list
André Jolivet (1905–1974) Suite for String trio
Gideon Klein (1919–1945) String Trio (1944)
Zoltán Kodály (1882–1967) Intermezzo-Allegretto
Hans Krása (1899–1944) Template:Plain list
Ernst Krenek (1900–1991) Template:Plain list
Carmelo Mantione (born 1980) Trio d'archi (2021)
Frank Martin (1890–1974) Trio (1936)
Donald Martino (1931–2005) String Trio (1954)
Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959) Template:Plain list
Grace-Evangeline Mason (born 1994) Into the Abyss, I Throw Roses (2018)
Siegfried Matthus (born 1934) Windspiele, for string trio
Erkki Melartin (1875–1937) String Trio Op.133 (1926?)
Darius Milhaud (1892–1974) Template:Plain list
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) Template:Plain list
Ernst Naumann (1832–1910) Trio in D major, Op. 12
Ștefan Niculescu (1927–2008) Template:Plain list
Andrew Norman (born 1979) The Companion Guide to Rome (2010)
Krzysztof Penderecki (born 1933) String Trio (1990–91)
Václav Pichl (1741–1805) Template:Plain list
Wayne Peterson (1927–2021) String Trio (2007)
Ignaz Pleyel (1757–1831) 3 String Trios, B 401–403
Gerhard Präsent (born 1957) Sounds Of Wood (1998)
Max Reger (1873–1916) Template:Plain list
Carl Reinecke (1824–1910) String Trio in C minor, Op. 249
Wolfgang Rihm (born 1952) Musik für drei Streicher (1977)
Sofie Rohnstock (1875-1964)

String Trio in G Major

Alessandro Rolla (1757–1841) Template:Plain list
Julius Röntgen (1855–1932)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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Guy Ropartz (1864–1955) Trio in A minor for Strings (1934–35)
Albert Roussel (1896–1937) String Trio, Op. 58
Kaija Saariaho (1952–2023) Cloud Trio (2009)
Ernest Sauter (1928–2013) Template:Plain list
Giacinto Scelsi (1905–1988) Trio for strings (1958)
Alfred Schnittke (1934–1998) String Trio (1985)
Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951) String Trio, Op. 45 (1946)
Franz Schubert (1797–1828) Template:Plain list
Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) Template:Plain list
Template:Ill (1896–1978) Template:Plain list
Robert Simpson (1921–1997) String Trio (1987)
Nikos Skalkottas (1904–1949) String Trio No. 2 (1935)
Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928–2007) Hoffnung (2007) Template:Harv
Richard Strauss (1864–1949) Variations on "Das Dirndl is harb auf mi" TRV 109 (1882)
Sergei Taneyev (1856–1915) String Trio in D major (1880)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) Allegretto moderato (1863–64)
Jesús Torres (1965) String Trio (2002)
Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959) String Trio (1945)
Graham Waterhouse (born 1962) Template:Plain list
Julian Wagstaff (born 1970) In Extremis (2011)([1])
Rolf Wallin (1957–) Sway (2010)
Anton Webern (1883–1945) Template:Plain list
Egon Wellesz (1885–1974) Template:Plain list
John Woolrich (born 1954) String Trio (1996)
Charles Wuorinen (1938–2020) String Trio (1968)
Iannis Xenakis (1922–2001) Ikhoor {Ιχώρ} (1978)
La Monte Young (born 1935) Trio (1958)
Eugène Ysaÿe (1858–1931) Trio "Le Chimay"(1915)
Bernd Alois Zimmermann (1918–1970) Trio (1944)

Two violins, celloEdit

Composer Composition
Alexander Alyabyev (1787–1851) Variations on a Russian folk song
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) Prelude and Fugue for two violins and cello in E minor, Hess 29 (1795)
Luigi Boccherini (1743–1805) Template:Plain list
Alexander Borodin (1833–1887) String Trio in G minor on a Russian folk song
Siegfried Borris (1906–1987) Terzettino
Werner Egk (1901–1983) Trio in G minor
Template:Ill (1756–1820) String Trios, Op. 5, Nos. 1–6
Avgust Grigoryevich Gerke (1790–1847) Trio pour deux violons et violoncelle op. 2
Peter Hänsel (1770–1831) Template:Plain list
Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) Template:Plain list
Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754–1812) Template:Plain list
Feliks Janiewicz (1762–1848) 6 String Trios
Joachim Kaczkowski (1789–1829)[2] Quatre variations op. 3

Six variations op. 4

Wilhelm Killmayer (born 1927) Trio for two violins and cello
Karol Lipiński (1790-1861) String Trio in g minor Op. 8

String Trio in A-major Op. 12

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) Template:Plain list
Ignaz Pleyel (1757–1831) Template:Plain list
Template:Ill (1752–1835) Fantasia Terza
Gerhard Präsent (born 1957) Template:Plain list
Joseph Schuster (1748–1812) String Trio in A minor
Johann Baptist Wanhal (1739–1813) Template:Plain list

Two violins, violaEdit

Composer Composition
Frank Bridge (1879–1941) Rhapsody Trio (1928)
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) Template:Plainlist
Robert Fuchs (1847–1927) Template:Plainlist
Zoltán Kodály (1882–1967) Template:Plainlist
David Ludwig (born 1974) Rule of Three for two violins and viola (2016)
Sergei Taneyev (1856–1915) String Trio in D major, Op. 21 (1907)

Alternative scoringEdit

Composer Composition
F.L. Gaßmann (1729–1774) Template:Plain list
Sergei Taneyev (1856–1915) String Trio in ETemplate:Music major, Op. 31, for violin, viola and violotta
John Zorn (born 1953) Walpurgisnacht (2004) for violin, viola and double bass

See alsoEdit

NotesEdit

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SourcesEdit

Further readingEdit

External linksEdit

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