Though the idea of the piece remained not a short time in the composer’s mind, Maurice Ravel’s Piano Trio in A minor was written hastily during the summer months of 1914. Dedicated to his former counterpoint teacher, André Gedalge, Ravel on one occasion remarked that he had composed his trio, but only needed to think of its themes. He finally set down to work during his summer retreat at the French Basque commune of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, across the bay from his birthplace. Initially, Ravel progressed slowly, but the outbreak of World War I, however, sped his work on the trio. Desiring to enlist in the army, he completed the trio by September of that year, writing to Igor Stravinsky that he had compressed five months’ worth of labor into five weeks. The Trio then received its premiere performance in Paris several months later on January 2nd, 1915.
Typical of Ravel, the Piano Trio in A minor adheres to the formal balance and dimensions of the Classical period. It is laid out on the traditional four-movement pattern, with outer sonata form movements framing a scherzo and slow movement. Likewise typical of Ravel, the content of these movements is wholly original. Much of the piece is influenced by Ravel’s Basque heritage, the scherzo being the only movement that sounds particularly “French.” Similarly, Ravel’s approach to the ensemble is noteworthy. Attempting to reconcile the sonorities of the strings and piano, Ravel treated the instruments in an orchestral fashion, and thereby created a rich and luscious harmonic texture. In addition, he made frequent use of trills, tremolos, harmonics, and glissandi, making it a particularly challenging work for the entire ensemble.
The first movement takes its inspiration from the zortziko, a Basque folk dance, and its irregular meter and ostinato easily become fixated in the listener’s mind. Interestingly, despite being in a sonata form, Ravel presents both themes in the tonic key, not only in the exposition but in the recapitulation as well. Yet, to alleviate this overbearing presence of the tonic, the movement’s extended coda ultimately brings from it to a close in the relative major.
Following the opening sonata movement is the Scherzo and Trio, here subtitled by Ravel as a Pantoum, a type of poem native to Malay and similar in aspect to the villanelle with repeating lines throughout its stanzas. It is uncertain if Ravel meant a literal musical representation of the poetic form, but it does seem to mimic it, when at the appearance of the Trio theme announced by the piano in 4/2 time, the strings maintain the triple meter of the Scherzo.
After the Scherzo, Ravel turns to an archaic form by casting the slow movement as a passacaille. The ostinato bass slowly unwinds in the left hand of the piano at the start of the movement. Treated with the usual liberality of the times, the repetitions of the bass are not strict and a second thematic element later works its way into the movement’s development. It slowly builds to a powerful climax, from which it dies away and pauses only briefly before the finale.
Lastly, the quick-paced finale ends the work with fiery energy and passion. The meter shifts frequently throughout movement between 5/4 and 7/4, creating a restlessness that propels the music forward, until a wild flurry of notes brings the Trio to a dynamic close.Joseph DuBose
Classical Music | Violin Music
Maurice Ravel
Piano Trio in a minor Play
Recorded on 07/14/2014, uploaded on 08/28/2014
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Though the idea of the piece remained not a short time in the composer’s mind, Maurice Ravel’s Piano Trio in A minor was written hastily during the summer months of 1914. Dedicated to his former counterpoint teacher, André Gedalge, Ravel on one occasion remarked that he had composed his trio, but only needed to think of its themes. He finally set down to work during his summer retreat at the French Basque commune of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, across the bay from his birthplace. Initially, Ravel progressed slowly, but the outbreak of World War I, however, sped his work on the trio. Desiring to enlist in the army, he completed the trio by September of that year, writing to Igor Stravinsky that he had compressed five months’ worth of labor into five weeks. The Trio then received its premiere performance in Paris several months later on January 2nd, 1915.
Typical of Ravel, the Piano Trio in A minor adheres to the formal balance and dimensions of the Classical period. It is laid out on the traditional four-movement pattern, with outer sonata form movements framing a scherzo and slow movement. Likewise typical of Ravel, the content of these movements is wholly original. Much of the piece is influenced by Ravel’s Basque heritage, the scherzo being the only movement that sounds particularly “French.” Similarly, Ravel’s approach to the ensemble is noteworthy. Attempting to reconcile the sonorities of the strings and piano, Ravel treated the instruments in an orchestral fashion, and thereby created a rich and luscious harmonic texture. In addition, he made frequent use of trills, tremolos, harmonics, and glissandi, making it a particularly challenging work for the entire ensemble.
The first movement takes its inspiration from the zortziko, a Basque folk dance, and its irregular meter and ostinato easily become fixated in the listener’s mind. Interestingly, despite being in a sonata form, Ravel presents both themes in the tonic key, not only in the exposition but in the recapitulation as well. Yet, to alleviate this overbearing presence of the tonic, the movement’s extended coda ultimately brings from it to a close in the relative major.
Following the opening sonata movement is the Scherzo and Trio, here subtitled by Ravel as a Pantoum, a type of poem native to Malay and similar in aspect to the villanelle with repeating lines throughout its stanzas. It is uncertain if Ravel meant a literal musical representation of the poetic form, but it does seem to mimic it, when at the appearance of the Trio theme announced by the piano in 4/2 time, the strings maintain the triple meter of the Scherzo.
After the Scherzo, Ravel turns to an archaic form by casting the slow movement as a passacaille. The ostinato bass slowly unwinds in the left hand of the piano at the start of the movement. Treated with the usual liberality of the times, the repetitions of the bass are not strict and a second thematic element later works its way into the movement’s development. It slowly builds to a powerful climax, from which it dies away and pauses only briefly before the finale.
Lastly, the quick-paced finale ends the work with fiery energy and passion. The meter shifts frequently throughout movement between 5/4 and 7/4, creating a restlessness that propels the music forward, until a wild flurry of notes brings the Trio to a dynamic close. Joseph DuBose
More music by Maurice Ravel
La Valse
Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Faure
Noctuelles from Miroirs
Daphnis and Chloé, Suite No. 2
Une barque sur l'océan, from Miroirs
Alborada del Gracioso, from Miroirs
Pièce en Forme de Habanera
Cinq Mélodies Populaires Grecques
Rhapsodie espagnole
Concerto No. 2 in D Major for Piano and Orchestra
Performances by same musician(s)
String Quintet in G Minor, K. 516
Serenade in C Major, Op. 10
Piano Quartet No.2, Op.45
Piano Quintet in f minor, Op 34
Quartet in C Major, K. 465, "Dissonance"
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