The Piano Trio No. 2 in

C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: : Cha ...

, Op. 66, was written by Felix Mendelssohn in

1845 Events January–March * January 10 – Elizabeth Barrett receives a love letter from the younger poet Robert Browning; on May 20, they meet for the first time in London. She begins writing her ''Sonnets from the Portuguese''. * January 2 ...

and published in February 1846. The work is scored 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 The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

and

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

. Mendelssohn dedicated the work to his close friend and violinist,

Louis Spohr Louis Spohr (, 5 April 178422 October 1859), baptized Ludewig Spohr, later often in the modern German form of the name Ludwig, was a German composer, violinist and conductor. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Spohr composed ten symphonies, t ...

, who played through the piece with the composer at least once.

Background

In 1845, Mendelssohn began his composition of the second piano trio in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

. Knowing of his stay in Frankfurt, many visitors would seek out Mendelssohn, including an English student named

W. S. Rockstro William Smith Rockstro (5 January 1823 – 1 July 1895) was an English musicologist, teacher, pianist and composer. He is best remembered for his books, including music textbooks, music history and biographies of famous musicians. Life and caree ...

. Presented with this young student, Mendelssohn invited him, along with violinist Ferdinand David, to read through parts of his new piano trio. Dedicated to

and presented to Fanny Mendelssohn on her birthday, the trio was finished in on April 30, 1846. The trio offered inspiration to Johannes Brahms, with the opening theme of the finale being referenced in the scherzo of his Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 5, as well as the opening of the first movement of this trio being the basis for the piano line in the finale of his Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60.

Movements

The trio has four

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 ...

: A typical performance lasts just under 30 minutes.

I. Allegro energico e con fuoco

One of Mendelssohn's most notable uses of

sonata form Sonata form (also ''sonata-allegro form'' or ''first movement form'') is a musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of the 18th c ...

, the first movement of the piano trio begins with a stormy texture built on arpeggios in all three voices that call upon Mendelssohn's ''Hebrides'' overture and '' Scottish Symphony''. The primary theme of the first movement quotes Mendelessohn's '' Lieder Ohne Worte'' (Songs without Words), Op. 102, No. 1. The overall harmonic scheme of the movement moves from the tonic in the primary theme to the mediant in the secondary theme and closes in the dominant.

II. Andante espressivo

The second movement presents a lullaby in the piano, borrowing its rhythmic movement from Mendelssohn's ''Lieder Ohne Worte'', Op. 19, No. 6 ("Venetian Boat Songs"). The gentle entry of the violin and cello on top of the rocking line in the piano turns the movement into a Duett ohne Worte.

III. Scherzo: Molto allegro quasi presto

Described by Mendelssohn as "a trifle nasty to play," the scherzo movement follows a

rondo The rondo is an instrumental musical form introduced in the Classical period. Etymology The English word ''rondo'' comes from the Italian form of the French ''rondeau'', which means "a little round". Despite the common etymological root, rondo ...

design full of imitative passages being passed through the three instruments. Reminiscent of a trifle, the three instruments enter offset by an eighth note in the fast moving line, creating a stacking effect. As seen in Mendelssohn's early scherzi, the playful and wild manner of the movement keeps its high energy until the very end. The high energy of the movement has been likened to that of Mendelssohn's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' scherzo, while also featuring motives that harken back to the scherzo in Mendelssohn's

Octet Octet may refer to: Music * Octet (music), ensemble consisting of eight instruments or voices, or composition written for such an ensemble ** String octet, a piece of music written for eight string instruments *** Octet (Mendelssohn), 1825 compos ...

. The music abruptly softens, ending on crisp

pizzicato Pizzicato (, ; translated as "pinched", and sometimes roughly as "plucked") is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of instrument : * On bowe ...

chords.

IV. Finale: Allegro appassionato

Regarded as the most famous movement from the trio, the fourth movement of the trio opens with an unusual leap in the cello. A notable feature of the finale of this work is its use of the melody of a chorale. After the introduction of the initial theme, the work quotes '' Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ'', and then expands to also include a sixteenth-century Genevan psalter tune, known in English as

Old Hundredth "Old 100th" or "Old Hundredth" (also known as "Old Hundred") is a hymn tune in long metre, from the second edition of the Genevan Psalter. It is one of the best known melodies in many occidental Christian musical traditions. The tune is usually ...

from its association with the ''Psalm 100 ( William Kethe)'', as the culminating melody.Todd, Larry R., and Mace, Angela R. (March 2009). “Mendelssohn & the Free Chorale.” ''The Choral Journal,'' 49 (9): 58-60.

References

External links

* {{authority control Chamber music by Felix Mendelssohn Mendelssohn, Felix 2 1845 compositions Compositions in C minor Music with dedications