The Clarinet Trio in

D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed for t ...

for clarinet, cello and piano, Op. 3, was written by

Alexander von Zemlinsky Alexander Zemlinsky or Alexander von Zemlinsky (14 October 1871 – 15 March 1942) was an Austrian composer, conductor, and teacher. Biography Early life Zemlinsky was born in Vienna to a highly diverse family. Zemlinsky's grandfather, Anton S ...

in 1896. The composer also arranged the work for a standard

piano trio A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music. The term can also refer to a group of m ...

consisting of violin, cello and piano.

History

The trio was Zemlinsky's submission to a composition competition offered by the Vienna ''Tonkünstlerverein'' to all Austro-Hungarian composers, that asked for a chamber music work scored with at least one

wind instrument A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pitc ...

. It is likely that this requirement originated from

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

, the president of the ''Verein'' and one of the competition's judges, who had taken a recent interest in the clarinet, with works such as the

Clarinet Trio A clarinet trio is a chamber ensemble that consists of a clarinet, a bowed string instrument and a piano, or a musical work for such an ensemble. The string instrument can be a cello, a viola, or a violin. Therefore, a clarinet trio can be ref ...

Clarinet Quintet Traditionally a clarinet quintet is a chamber musical ensemble made up of one clarinet, plus the standard string quartet of two violins, one viola, and one cello. Now the term clarinet quintet can refer to five B clarinets; four B clarinets and a ...

, and the two

Clarinet Sonatas A clarinet sonata is piece of music in sonata form for clarinet, often with piano accompaniment. The Clarinet Sonatas by Brahms are of special significance in the development of the clarinet repertoire. Several important transcriptions are also ...

. As the competition's deadline was on 1 July, it is likely that the trio was composed in the first half of 1896. There is some evidence that the work started out as a standard

, and that Zemlinsky replaced the violin with the clarinet at some point to match the requirements of the competition. Published editions by

Simrock Simrock may refer to the German sheet music publisher N. Simrock, or one of the following members of the Simrock family engaged in that business: * Nikolaus Simrock, (1751–1832), founder of N. Simrock * Karl Joseph Simrock (1802–1876), son of N ...

and Henle Verlag include a violin part as an alternative to the clarinet. The Clarinet Trio was premiered on 11 December 1896, after the jury made an initial selection of works. On 22 December 1896, Zemlinsky was awarded third prize, along with 200

kronen Kronen Brauerei, also known as Private Brewery Dortmund Kronen, was one of the oldest brewery, breweries in Westphalia and has its headquarters at the Old Market in Dortmund. The company was able to look back on more than 550 years of brewing ...

(). The work was published by

the following year, following a recommendation by Brahms, who added "I can recommend the man as well as his talent". The trio was dedicated to Johann Nepomuk Fuchs, who had been Zemlinsky's composition teacher at the Vienna Conservatory. The autograph manuscript has been lost, and only some initial sketches remain.

Structure

The work consists of three

movements Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

: The trio shows considerable influence of Brahms, and to some extent of Dvořák in its melodies. The playing time is around 29 minutes.

Reception

Marc Moskovitz writes that the trio "shows the depth of his potential, for the first time fusing his impressive understated lyrical gift with his mastery of the art of developing variation."

References

External links

* {{authority control Compositions by Alexander von Zemlinsky Compositions for clarinet 1896 compositions Compositions in C minor Music dedicated to students or teachers