Piano Trio No. 3 (Brahms)

The Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, Op. 101, by Johannes Brahms is scored for piano, violin and cello, and was written in the summer of 1886 while Brahms was on holiday in Hofstetten, Switzerland. It was premiered on 20 December of that year by Brahms, violinist Jenő Hubay, and cellist David Popper.[1]

Piano Trio in C minor
No. 3
by Johannes Brahms
The composer in 1880
Key	C minor
Catalogue	Op. 101
Composed	1886
Published	1887
Movements	Four

The trio is in four movements:

1. Allegro energico
2. Presto non assai
3. Andante grazioso
4. Allegro molto

First movement

C minor, sonata form

Second movement

C minor, ternary form. This movement takes the form of an intermezzo, in place of the traditional scherzo and trio.

Third movement

C major, ternary form. This movement involves the use of alternating time signatures: ³
₄ and ²
₄, as well as ⁹
₈ and ⁶
₈.

Fourth movement

C minor, sonata form. Ends in C major.

References

1. Clive, Brahms and His World:A Biographical Dictionary, p. xxvii, xxviii,xxix

External links

• Piano Trio No. 3: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Performance of Piano Trio No. 3 by the Claremont Trio from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in MP3 format
• Detailed Listening Guide using the recording by Trio Opus 8