Schumann, Piano Quartet The chamber music of Robert Schumann (1810-1856) makes up a relative small portion of his large corpus of works. An extremely accomplished pianist, his compositions focus heavily on that instrument: works for solo piano, a piano concerto, and an enormous body of … Read more
Reicha, Woodwind Quintet, Op. 88, No. 2 I once considered writing my doctoral dissertation on Anton Reicha (1770-1836). For a variety of reasons, that didn’t happen, and I eventually chose a very different topic. But the under-researched Reicha offered plenty of material for a music … Read more
Webern, Cinq Pièces Five pieces in under six minutes—it says something about the sparseness of Webern’s music. The Austrian composer Anton Webern (1883-1945) is one of three primary figures in the Second Viennese School. Arnold Schoenberg and his acolytes Webern and Berg pioneered the compositional … Read more
Kevin Puts, And Legions Will Rise Some of the selections I make for this series are the result of careful planning and others come about on pure whim. I have some guiding principles—aesthetic, legal, and pedagogical—that constrain me only a little. I try to present … Read more
Brahms, Trio in E-flat for Piano, Violin, and Horn Brahms’ Horn Trio stands out as unusual in several respects, for starters the mere act of inserting a horn into what otherwise might be a “piano trio.” Horn players can find themselves in various chamber ensembles, … Read more
Schubert, Piano Quintet in A Major (“Trout”) Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet gets its name from the fourth movement (at 21:21), a set of variations on Schubert’s song Die Forelle (trout). The quintet was composed in 1819 but not published until 1829, after Schubert’s death. The work … Read more
Haydn, Piano Trio in C Major, Hob. XV: 27 The piano trio of the Classical era grew out of the Baroque trio sonata. The long-popular Baroque trio sonata featured a solo instrument accompanied by what was called the basso continuo consisting of harpsichord and viol da gamba … Read more
Carl Nielsen, Quintet Op. 43 Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) ranks perhaps as Denmark’s most important composer, certainly one who plays an important role in the country’s artistic identity. He is also a study in contrasts. He may be classified as a nationalistic composer, and this owes … Read more
Fauré, Piano Trio, Op. 120 Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) attended a boarding school for musicians with a conservative focus on church music and turning out good organists and choirmasters. During his time there, Camille Saint-Saëns took over the piano instruction, and opened his students ears to … Read more
Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 49, III – Scherzo I said last week that there is no right place to start when getting to know Classical music, or – more accurately – no wrong place to start. Perhaps you listened to the Haydn Trumpet Concerto that began this … Read more
