Schubert began composing his Piano Trio in B-flat in 1827, the year before his death, and worked on it simultaneously with the song cycle Die Winterreise. Perhaps Schubert needed a lighter project to divert his attention, and from the illness and melancholy that filled the composer’s life in his last months;
It is a lively, buoyant work, with unrivaled lyricism throughout.
The first movement, an Allegro Moderato, is beautifully balanced, and perfectly orchestrated. The piano takes the first theme with strings providing staccato accompaniment. An upward scale on the piano leads to the second theme, first stated by the cello.
The second movement, marked Andante un poco mosso, starts with a beautiful lullaby-like melody by the cello that moves to the violin. After growing and increasing in tempo, passing the theme among each instrument, a more elegant section starts, then becomes more agitated, entwining through minor keys, developing ideas. There is a return to the opening melody from the beginning of the movement and the Andante ends.
The third movement is a Scherzo Allegro that borrows from the Ländler – a folk-dance in 3/4 time that features hopping, stomping, and, occasionally, yodeling. The Ländler was popular in Austria at the end of the 18th century, and is thought to have contributed to the evolution of the waltz.
The finale is a rondo though it is closer to a developmental sonata form. It is also dance-like and the three instruments follow one another throughout, playing tripping dotted figures, arpeggios, and trills. The music continues to develop and vary, changing keys, making declarative pronouncements and adding to the picturesque flight – one of the most unique and beautiful in Schubert.
Here is the Schubert Trio #1 in a wonderful performance by violinist Janine Jansen and her friends:
