Piano Trios: A Comparison and Development of Structure and Forms in Different Eras
The different periods of music in history are influenced by numerous factors such as socioeconomic status, scientific discoveries, philosophical ideologies, architecture, literature, and the arts at that time (Kuznetsova and Tidewater Community College, n.d.). As time changes, so do these factors, including music. The varying periods of music are not completely different from one another because they have influenced other succeeding musical periods and they may retain or borrow some elements and/or concepts in one way or another.
Baroque Period Before the classical period, the Baroque music had some defining concepts at that time. The Greeks and Romans believed that music is a powerful tool of communication and that it could draw emotion from its listeners, which came from the Renaissance period. As a result, composers of the Baroque period were aware of the potential and power of music. They believed that their compositions could have similar effects to the audience if they mirrored ancient music. An example of this is the oratorio The Messiah by George Frideric Handel. Aside from this, patronage was a reality during the Baroque period because at that time, composers were already fortunate enough if they were backed by religious and political institutions. So, the music needs of an institution dictated the kind of music a composer produced at that time. The musical forms that defined the Baroque era were the opera, oratorio, cantata, sonata, and concerto (“What Is Baroque Music?”, n.d.). These two concepts, especially of patronage, along with some musical forms from the baroque era would later on be passed on to the classical period of music.
Classical Period
The classical period of Western music took place between 1730 and 1820. However, the term "classical music" was used synonymously to refer to varying styles of Western music from the sixteenth century up until the nineteenth century. During the mid-18th century, this change of period was brought by classicism, as Europe moved to a change of style in the fields of architecture, literature, and the arts (Kuznetsova and Tidewater Community College, n.d.). As defined by Tate, the term classicism is “used to describe art that makes reference to ancient Greek or Roman style” and is generally associated with “harmony and restraint, and obedience to recognized standards of form and craftsmanship” (Tate, n.d.), reminiscent of the Renaissance period.
Moreover, in the aspect of science with Newton’s contribution to physics as a model, structure became important. This also reflected in music as compositions were divided into movements, making it more organized and orderly. There was a shift from polyphony coming from the Baroque era to homophony. Polyphony refers to a musical composition that have two or more independent melodic lines that can have different rhythm, while homophony is played and sung together in the same rhythm (DeVoto, 2017).
One of the prominent composers known in this era up until today, aside from Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, is Ludwig van Beethoven. Significantly, this new style was also influenced by the change in socioeconomic order and structure. The main patrons of music of this time are of nobility. For example, the "Archduke" Trio by Beethoven was dedicated to Archduke Rudolf of Austria, a patron, student and friend of the composer. Unlike Baroque music, classical music is simpler and has a lighter texture. To see this, let’s examine the "Archduke" Trio of Beethoven.
The Archduke Trio
The "Archduke" Trio was the last of his piano trios as Beethoven lost his hearing, eventually becoming deaf. It was composed in 1811 and was first performed in 1814. It was composed of four movements as opposed to the usual three movements common in chamber music. The first movement is the sonata form (exposition, development, and recapitulation) played in allegro moderato tempo. Allegro moderato means moderately fast. The second movement is a scherzo in place of the minuet where a dance theme would take place. It is played in allegro which means it has a fast tempo. The third movement is played in andante, a slow piece which focuses on the piano. The final movement is played in allegro moderato, a more joyful sound as opposed to the sorrowful and calmer music in the previous movement (Schwarm, 2015).
In Philippine history, a few of the country’s composers have studied music abroad and have been influenced and inspired by these Euro-western music styles. One of them is Lucrecia Roces Kasilag, the First Lady of Philippine Music or also known as "Tita King" (Cabug, 2018). She was born during the 20th century, but her compositional style is reminiscent of 18th century musical forms (Hamoy, 2018). An example would be Kasilag’s Piano Trio.
Comparison of the Piano Trios In comparison to Beethoven’s "Archduke" Trio, Kasilag’s Piano Trio has three movements while the former has four. The three movements of Kasilag’s Piano Trio are labeled according to their tempos: moderato, adagio, and allegro. Allegro means fast, while moderato means to be played in a moderate pace. Adagio is played in a slow tempo. It is slower than Andante but faster then Largo (“Music Term: Adagio”, 2018).
Comparing the tempo of the first movement of each piano trio, the "Archduke" Trio is a bit quicker than Kasilag’s Piano Trio. Archduke Trio’s second (scherzo: allegro) and third movement (andante) is also quicker than Kasilag’s second movement to be played in adagio. But for the final movement of each piano trio, Kasilag’s third movement (allegro) is faster than the "Archduke" Trio’s fourth movement (allegro moderato).
When one takes a look at the music scores of each piano trio, it shows that the "Archduke" Trio has a more complex composition than Kasilag’s Piano Trio. This is based on the many rhythmic groupings or beamed notes found on the Archduke Trio that are supposedly played consecutively. On the other hand, Kasilag’s Piano Trio has this simplicity that is reflected by numerous singular notes on the sheet music.
Archduke Trio (Second Movement) The second movement of the "Archduke" Trio starts off with the violin and cello playing first then, the piano comes in afterwards. As one moves along the movement, there were some parts where the violin and cello are predominantly being played together while some parts, the piano. Ultimately, the piano is the prominent instrument that is played throughout the second movement, seeing as the tempo is fast (scherzo: allegro) and rhythmic groupings found more in the piano score. In this case, the violin and cello acts as supporting rhythm, sound and melody to the piano. The violin serves as the lighter and higher sound of the piece, while the cello serves as the bass of the movement. Overall, the piano, violin and cello combination makes for a fuller sound when compared to, say, the whole sound of string quartets which are lighter due to the natural sound of strings.
Kasilag’s Piano Trio: Lullabye (Second Movement) Lullabye starts off in adagio but in the middle section, the tempo shifts to poco allegretto which means little allegretto. It is slower than allegro but faster than the tempo at the start of the second movement. The middle section gives way for a livelier tone due to the shift in tempo. Overall, Lullabye is played in a slower and somber pace as opposed to the quick and joyful tone of the second movement of the “Archduke” Trio. But it ends with poco allegretto which is a good transition to the third movement (The Finale) played in allegro.
Bibliography
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