Guide-To-String Trios

GUIDE TO THE STRING TRIO LITERATURE Guide to the Strin g Trio Li teratu Ray re by mon d Si lvert rust BY RAYMOND SILVERTRUST EDITOR OF THE CHAMBER MUSIC JOURNAL -1- Table of Contents Introduction and Preface ··································································································· 3 Trios for Violin, Viola and Violoncello ············································································ 6 Trios for 2 Violins and Cello or 2 Violins and Viola ······················································· 24 Index······························································································································· 29 -2- A Guide to the String Trio Literature By Raymond Silvertrust Introduction and Preface professional ensemble. Along the way, I developed a love of the broader chamber music literature to which I was first exposed First, I would like to apologize to my readers. I have hastily through the medium of phonograph records. To my chagrin, typed this entirely myself. And as I have no editor and because I years of concert-going made clear that I was unlikely to ever hear am not a good proof reader, you will find many mistakes, largely such music performed live, either because the professionals did because I have felt, now in my seventh decade, that I am racing not know of the music or because the music was unavailable. against the clock so to speak. I have wanted to make sure that I When I realized this state of affairs, I undertook to obtain some would be able to complete this guide. When it is done, and if I of the music I had heard on disk so that at least I could play it. To have time, I will improve it, add to it and, of course, try to this end, I began to search music stores, antiquarian dealers and eliminate all of the errors I have left behind. libraries both in America and Europe. Later, I used my briefly held position as chamber music critic for a classical music radio he main objective of this guide is to provide both professional and station to further the cause of lesser known but fine chamber mu- amateur chamber music players, as well as concert-goers, with a sic by encouraging many of the groups passing through our city practical guide to the string trio literature. But it is a spe-cial type to examine them. I have, on occasion, sent copies of some of of guide which up until now has not existed in English; these works I unearthed to well-known ensembles currently per- a guide which can be used as an aid to helping explore the wider forming. Additionally, I have served as the editor of and a fre- world of chamber music, most of which in my experience, is vir- quent contributor to The Chamber Music Journal for more than tually unknown to professional musicians as well as the listening 25 years and have headed up The International Cobbett Associa- public. However, this guide is by no means a mere compilation tion for Chamber Music Research for a similar period or time. or an encyclopaedia of works, nor is it an academic treatise which analyzes how a composer actually wrote his music. Over the years, it occurred to me that a guide such as this was needed by players and possibly by listeners. Guides to chamber It is unfortunate that today's concert-goer is presented with the music have appeared from time to time, but have been little more same works over and over again. As far as chamber music con- than detailed analyses of a few famous works. In contrast, Cob- certs go, most of them are by string quartets or piano trios. One bett's marvellous and mammoth Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber almost never hears string trios performed in the concert hall This Music is just that, an encyclopedia, not a practical handbook that can be explained by the fact that there are virtually no permanent the performer, whether professional or amateur, can rely upon in string trios in existence performing regularly before the public. In navigating the literature. most cases the only reason why a string trio concert will be pro- gramed is because it is cheaper than having to pay for a quartet. Despite the fact I recognized the need for a different kind of guide, I did not initially consider the possibility of undertaking it But if on the off chance one does get to hear a string trio concert, myself until a number of my chamber music friends and col- and by this I mean a trio for violin, viola and cello, I can almost leagues, after regularly hearing me complain such a book was guarantee that the selection will be from one of half a dozen needed, suggested I had the knowledge and experience and urged works: Mozarts Divertimento, K.563, Beethoven’s Op.9 or occa- me to write it myself. To this end, I have been fortunate in having sionally the Op.8 Serenade, and Dohnanyi’s Op.10 Serenade. If had the opportunity to play thousands of pieces of chamber music the trio were for 2 Violins and Viola, this generally only happens by several hundred composers and with a strange sense of fore- when a string quartet presents such a work, it will either be the sight, I had in many instances made notes on the pieces played. I Kodaly Trio or Dvorak’s Terzetto. have also been fortunate in collecting a large number of little known works over the years through my searches. Finally I have So, unfortunately, the reality is that the only way one is going to had the opportunity to hear many works that I would otherwise hear a string trio is either through the medium of records or by never have encountered through the medium of records. playing the music themselves. Given this guide’s main objective, little attention will be expended on famous works mentioned As to the question of whether a work is a good one and deserving above. Instead, it will concentrate on lesser or unknown pieces of attention, the answer unfortunately must be subjective. There which also deserve our consideration. Besides, entire books have is, as they say, no accounting for taste and intelligent men can been devoted to many of these famous works, for example, Bee- differ on such things. Fashion and tastes change over time as thoven's chamber music and there is little, if any more, of im- well. My judgments as to the value of most of the works dis- portance to be said on the subject by anyone writing today. cussed obviously come into play and I make no apology for Hence, this guide will only list such works for the sake of com- them. At the same time, unlike late 19th century Viennese music pleteness. Having said this, if the reader is new to the string trio critics, such as Eduard Hanslick, I do not consider myself a Tsar literature, certainly, the place to begin is with those works al- on the question of Musical Worth. Therefore, I have taken con- ready mentioned. siderable pains to arrive at a composite judgment based not only on my own feelings but also the opinions of my fellow players With regard to atonal and so-called experimental music, such and performers and in many instances the audiences in front of works will not be included. The players and listeners have now whom I have had the opportunity to perform. This fact has al- been exposed to these works for more than a century and for lowed me to be able to comment with some confidence on those who wish to know the truth, the verdict is in. Despite many fervent supporters and committed performances by professional groups, these works, great as they may be on paper to a musicol- ogist or the student of music theory, are not an experience the -3- average listener generally wishes to repeat. In authoring such a guide, the reader has the right to inquire as to the qualifications that the writer brings to his or her task. I have had the opportunity to play several times a week and regularly perform chamber music for the past 40 years, mostly in amateur groups, but occasionally as a member of a professional or semi- whether a given work might be well received by an audience or Thomas & Margaret Evans, Beverly Bloom, Girard Miller, Dr. would be fun for an amateur group to read through or to work on. Maurice Burke, Francis & Irene Peterson, Dr. Nicholas Cunning- ham, Dr. James Whitby, Eugene Chang, J. Steven Moore, An- Still, no one person is going to know it all and I make no claim to drew Green, Sylvie Koval, Sally Didrickson, Tom Weyland, Ed- this. Even Cobbett's Cyclopedia , with its several hundred contrib- ward Torgeson, Siegfried Moysich, Carl Fox, Dr. Bernard Res- utors, is incomplete. This fact, in and of itself, was enough to nick, Mordy Rhodes, Lillian Cassey, Joseph Kirschner, Gunther make me consider the hopelessness of what seemed a daunting Fonken, George Smith, Alan Garber, Gerda Bielitz, Beverly undertaking and for a long time, I thought of abandoning it. How- Kaushagen, Steven Spiegel, Rose Ross, Samuel & Paula Golden, ever, upon reflection I concluded my ultimate goal was to broad- Dr. Iris Cosnow, and Frank and Paula Tachau en the general public's knowledge of chamber music and to res- cue as many unjustifiably ignored works as I knew about. It is The String Trio hoped this guide will serve as a catalyst by informing chamber Since around 1800, string trios for violin, viola and violoncello music lovers about the music. have been considered the standard format. However, prior to 1800, it could be argued that the standard string trio was for the When record collectors buy records from those companies offer- combination of two violins and violoncello.

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