Piano Trio (Bernstein)
Encyclopedia
Leonard Bernstein
's Piano Trio for piano
, violin
, and cello
was written in 1937 while he was attending Harvard University
as a student of Walter Piston
. He was influenced by the conductor Dmitri Mitropoulos. Several melodic ideas were recycled for use in later pieces. For example the opening of the second movement was used later by Bernstein in his first musical On the Town.
.
recording of this piano trio won the Edison Award in Amsterdam.
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
's Piano Trio for piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, and cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
was written in 1937 while he was attending Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
as a student of Walter Piston
Walter Piston
Walter Hamor Piston Jr., , was an American composer of classical music, music theorist and professor of music at Harvard University whose students included Leroy Anderson, Leonard Bernstein, and Elliott Carter....
. He was influenced by the conductor Dmitri Mitropoulos. Several melodic ideas were recycled for use in later pieces. For example the opening of the second movement was used later by Bernstein in his first musical On the Town.
Premiere
The Trio was premiered in 1937 at Harvard University by the Madison Trio: Mildred Spiegel, Dorothy Rosenberg, Sarah Kruskall. It was published by Boosey & HawkesBoosey & Hawkes
Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and wind musical instruments....
.
Movements
The Trio is written in three movements:- I. Adagio non troppo - Più mosso - Allegro vivace
- II. Tempo di marcia
- III. Largo - Allegro vivo et molto ritmico
Awards
In 2000, the Altenberg Trio'sAltenberg Trio
The Altenberg Trio is a piano trio formed in 1994 in Vienna. It is named after a Viennese poet Peter Altenberg. Since its debut during the Salzburg Mozart Week in 1994, it is one of the few full-time piano trios in Europe. The ensemble became Trio-in-residence of Vienna's Gesellschaft der...
recording of this piano trio won the Edison Award in Amsterdam.
External links
- Lynn Chang Interview Harvard Seminar 2006: Interviews: Bernstein's Boston Years, students spoke with violinist Lynn ChangLynn ChangLynn Chang is a Chinese American violinist known for his work as both a soloist and a chamber musician. Chang is a founding member of the Boston Chamber Music Society and is currently a faculty member at MIT, Boston University, the Boston Conservatory, and the New England Conservatory of...
about his experiences with Leonard Bernstein and his music, in particular Chang's many performances of Bernstein's Piano Trio, an early piece, unpublished during Bernstein's lifetime.