Piano trio in Gm -C Schumann

• Texture

  • Mainly homophonic (e.g. bars 21-23) or melody-dominated homophony (e.g. bars 1-8)
  • Some contrapuntal exchanges between violin and cello, from bar 115
  • Melodic interest is usually kept in the violin or right hand of piano
  • Cello reinforces violin line in octaves (bar 47) or in 10ths (from bar 17)
  • Piano part is often made up of broken chords (maintaining a flow of quavers) or is chordal (bar 41)
• Recapitulation

  1. Bars 165-249

  2. Bars 165-185

  3. Bars 186-210

  4. Bars 210-249

  5. Bars 250-288
• Harmony


  • Functional harmony marked by a strong drive towards cadences
  • Suspensions, e.g. bar 18
  • Chromatic chords: Neapolitan 6th (bar 191), Diminished 7th (bar 132), French augmented 6th (bar 114)
  • Anticipation (bar 5*, violin)
  • Dominant pedal (bars 155-164, cello)
• Sonority

  • All three instruments are treated in a conventional manner
  • Ranges are well within each instrument's capabilities: nearly three octaves for violin and cello, and five and a half octaves for piano
  • Limited use of pizzicato in cello, e.g. bars 238-246
  • Double-stopping in violin, e.g. bars 21-23
  • Piano pedalling indications are rare
• Development

  1. Bars 91-164 (based largely on 1st subject)

  2. C minor (bar 92-94)

  3. Eb (bar 107)

  4. F minor (bar 111)

  5. C minor (from bar 127)

  6. G minor (from bar 150) with dominant pedal from bar 155
• Further Listening

  • Beethoven (Archduke Trio)
  • Brahms (Piano Trio No. 3)
  • Dvořák (Dumky Trio)
  • Shostakovich (Piano Trio No. 2)
• Piano pedalling indications

  • Rare
• When leaving the lower ranges, cello part is printed in treble clef, sounding an octave lower than written
• Rhythm features

  • Persistent quaver movement, syncopation (e.g. bars 39-40), forceful dotted rhythms
• Changes in tempo are rare, notably 'poco rit.' (bar 56 and 220), 'animato' at bar 266 invites an increase of pace
• Use of pizzicato


  • Limited use in cello, e.g. bars 238-246
• Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 17: movement 1 by Clara Schumann is a Romantic era work completed in 1846
• Clara Schumann, daughter of Friedrich Wieck and wife of composer Robert Schumann, was one of the limited number of 19th-century women composers
• Metre

  • Common time throughout
• Dynamics range

  • ff, p, frequent use of crescendos and diminuendos
• Instrument ranges

  • Violin and cello have nearly three octaves, piano has five and a half octaves
• Allegro moderato tempo, metronome mark of 152 crotchets per minute is relatively brisk
• Double-stopping

  • Seen in violin, e.g. bars 21-23
• A piano trio is a chamber work with parts for violin, cello, and piano, popularized by composers like Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Shostakovich
• Melody characteristics

  • Balanced phrases, sequential repetition, melodic leaps in the violin part include augmented 4th, minor 6th, minor 7th