Understanding the Piano Trio

So here we have a piano trio, and these three musicians have come together. It might be their very first meeting, or in the case of other examples, they might have been playing together for 10 weeks or 12 weeks. It doesn't matter; it will be a different experience each time.

The Invisible Member

As a teacher, I think it's very important to explain about an invisible member, because each person will have been practicing their own part. In this case, it's Beethoven's Piano Trio, Opus 1, Number 3 in C minor, and they will have been taking their own responsibility for their music.

• The cellist and violinist might have been playing in an orchestra recently and are used to working with a conductor, who takes the responsibility of the music and inspires the players.

• However, as chamber musicians, they are coming together to collaborate ideas, mixing in a palette of colors.

Mixing Musical Ideas

It's like you're mixing in a palette of colors, putting in:

• Reds
• Greens
• Yellows

This creates a magical kaleidoscope of colors. They will be mixing emotions and will have different ideas about pulse.

In fact, the sum of all the parts together will be greater, creating almost a phenomenon with an extra member and the blend of sound.

A Quick Rehearsal

So we're going to go from the beginning; we're just going to hear a little bit to see how it feels when we come together.

"So lovely, thank you."

Historical Insight

It's interesting to note that very early on, when the Piano Trio was first written, it was actually seen by a lot of composers as a piano quartet. Beethoven is a very good example, because we've actually got two hands: the right hand and the left hand, which is almost like having two members there.

Even though these musicians may have met before, when they come together, they need to be aware of the left hand playing with the cello and sometimes with the violin, and crossing over.

"So very well done."