Kasilag’s Piano Trio: A Fusion of the East and West
Lucrecia Kasilag is a Philippine National Artist who is known to have fused ethnic tones and Western styles, together, thus forming her own style that can be claimed as uniquely Filipino (“National Artist - Lucrecia R. Kasilag”). Kasilag has written several compositions, ranging from solo pieces such as sonatas and toccatas, to chamber music such as string quartets and piano trios. One famous composer is Ludwig van Beethoven, born in Germany in the late 1700s. Beethoven is an integral figure that transitioned the Classical period to the Romantic period. He had also helped developed some forms of music, among which was the piano trio. This paper aims to analyze a final movement in Kasilag’s piano trio and compare it to the final movement in Beethoven’s “Archduke” Trio in B-flat Major created the 18th century, the period this musical form was developed.
The piano trio is a musical form which is usually composed of a piano, a cello, and a violin. In Beethoven’s era, piano trios typically had three or four movements, just like a string quartet composition or a piano sonata. The “Archduke” trio has four movements, while Kasilag’s piano trio contains three. In this aspect, Kasilag had followed the traditional Western style of composing a piano trio.
The piano trios can be further analyzed based on the tempo, section form, key signature, and time signature. The final movement, in Allegro: Rondo, of Kasilag’s piano trio is in the form ABACA, whereas Beethoven’s final movement, Allegro moderato-Presto, is in AB form. Kasilag had created her final movement alternating the themes, while Beethoven was more straightforward: first placing the theme A, with all its variations, before proceeding to the next theme B. The Allegro: Rondo switches between tempos, starting with Allegro, then following it with a Poco Meno, meaning “more slowly,” then picking up the pace again to Allegro. Beethoven’s “Archduke” Trio, on the other hand, has the first theme played in Allegro moderato, then speeding it up to a Presto. Both composers, however, have a coda, or a concluding passage to the movement, which becomes much faster than before. Beethoven’s coda is in the tempo of Piu Presto, meaning “even faster,” while Kasilag’s coda is in Presto, from an Allegro.
In terms of key signature, the final movement in Kasilag’s piano trio is played in C Major, while in Beethoven’s, it changes from B-flat Major to A Major, just as it changes tempos from Allegro moderato to Presto. Time signatures also change together with the key signature and tempo for the “Archduke” trio. It starts of at 2/4 and changes to 6/8. In Kasilag’s, on the other hand, time signatures change very frequently, moving between the time signatures of 4/4, 3/4, and 6/8.
The piano trios will now be analyzed based on the roles the three instruments play, as well as the rhythm and melody. In Beethoven’s piano trio, the most dominant instrument is the piano, playing the main melody at the start of the movement, while both violin and cello accompany with a single chord or note. In the latter part of the movement, both violin and cello play the melody, especially in the Presto section of the movement. Note that there are also portions of the piece wherein the piano and the violin and cello alternate in melody, and in contrasting dynamics. In Kasilag’s piano trio, however, the three instruments’ leading parts are quite evenly spread out. The final movement starts with the violin playing the melody, with only the cello accompanying it. The piano follows right after, running with its sixteenth notes. After a few measures, the piano plays the melody, accompanied by the cello playing sixteenth notes. Soon after, it is the cello playing the melody with the violin playing the sixteenth notes. Evidently in this trio, Kasilag places much importance in each instrument’s role in the piece.
Moving on to the rhythm and melody, Beethoven’s composition uses a single note for the main melody, without syncopation and is harmonic. The rhythm is quite easy to follow, with a bass steadily playing eighth notes and keeping the beat. The overall tone of the composition is light, and the melody can be easily distinguished from the accompanying music. There are only two themes present, that is the Allegro Moderato section and the Presto section. It sounds relatively simple and the tune is easy to follow. Kasilag’s piano trio, however, is very different. Kasilag uses syncopation, taking advantage of eighth rests, eighth notes, and quarter notes in her composition. There are three vastly varying sections that make up the final movement in Kasilag’s piano trio. In the first section, the melody is played in fifths. This is what gives the composition the Oriental sound. The accompanying sound is characterized by parallel running notes that form thirds. As such, when both melody and accompaniment are played together, one can hear the fusion of sounds that make the melody less evident as compared to Beethoven’s piano trio. Its second section in Poco Meno has a pastorale quality to it, while the last section C is a short portion that has a dancing tune to it (De la Torre, 102). Overall, Kasilag’s musical composition is quite complex with its myriad of tones colliding, though not clashing, with each other at a particular time.
Kasilag and Beethoven are both amazing composers of their time. Having extensive musical backgrounds, both composers have utilized the methods of the past and have fused their own style to it. From this analysis, one can see that Kasilag has transformed a Western form that makes use of Western instruments—a piano trio—into a composition with an Oriental twist to it, as heard in its melody and rhythm. Kasilag’s piano trio is truly one that fuses the East and West.
References De la Torre, Visitacion R. Lucrecia R. Kasilag : An Artist for the World. Manila : Vera-Reyes,
c1985., 1985.
“National Artist - Lucrecia R. Kasilag.” National Commission for Culture and the Arts, ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/national-artists-of-the-philippines/ lucrecia-r-kasilag/.