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Piano Trios, Op. 1 (Beethoven)

Ludwig van Beethoven's Opus 1 is a set of three piano trios (written for piano, violin, and cello), first performed in 1795 in the house of Prince Lichnowsky, to whom they are dedicated.[1] The trios were published in 1795.

Piano Trios

1/1–3

Prince Lichnowsky

1795 (1795): Vienna

Despite the Op. 1 designation, these trios were not Beethoven's first published compositions;[2] this distinction belongs rather to his Dressler Variations for keyboard (WoO 63). Clearly he recognized the Op. 1 compositions as the earliest ones he had produced that were substantial enough (and marketable enough) to fill out a first major publication to introduce his style of writing to the musical public.

(E-flat major), 4
4

Allegro

cantabile (A-flat major), 3
4

Adagio

. Allegro assai (E-flat major, with trio in A-flat major), 3
4

Scherzo

. Presto (E-flat major), 2
4

Finale

The first movement opens with an ascending arpeggiated figure (a so-called Mannheim Rocket, like that opening the first movement of the composer's own Piano Sonata no 1, Opus 2 no 1),[3]

3
4 - Allegro vivace, 2
4 (G major)

Adagio

con espressione (E major), 6
8

Largo

. Allegro (G major, with a trio in B minor), 3
4

Scherzo

. Presto (G major), 2
4

Finale

con brio (C minor), 3
4

Allegro

cantabile con Variazioni (E-flat major), 2
4

Andante

. Quasi allegro (C minor, with a trio in C major), 3
4

Minuetto

. Prestissimo (C minor, concluding in C major), 2
2

Finale

Unlike the other piano trios in this opus, the third trio does not have a scherzo as its third movement but a minuet instead.


This third piano trio was later reworked by Beethoven into the C minor string quintet, Op. 104.[4]

Piano Trio No. 2, Piano Trio No. 3: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

Piano Trio No. 1

by the Claremont Trio from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in MP3 format

Performance of Piano Trio No. 1

Performance of Piano Trio No. 3, I Allegro con brio