The String Trio in E-flat major, Op. 3 is a composition by
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
, his first for
string trio
A string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. From at least the 19th century on, the term "string trio" with otherwise unspecified instrumentation normally refers to the combination violin, viola and cel ...
(violin, viola and cello).
It is a
divertimento
''Divertimento'' (; from the Italian '' divertire'' "to amuse") is a musical genre, with most of its examples from the 18th century. The mood of the '' divertimento'' is most often lighthearted (as a result of being played at social functions) and ...
consisting of six movements, including two minuets. It may have been first sketched while Beethoven was still living in
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
. It was published in 1797 by
Artaria Artaria & Co. () was one of the most important music publishing firms of the late 18th and 19th century. Founded in the 18th century in Vienna, the company is associated with many leading names of the classical era.
History
Artaria & Co. was foun ...
in Vienna, and dedicated to the Countess of Browne, wife of his patron Count
Johann Georg von Browne Count Johann Georg von Browne (or Johann Georg von Browne-Camus; 20 September 1767 – January 1827) was an officer in the Russian army, and settled in Vienna where he was a patron of Ludwig van Beethoven during the composer's early career.
Life
Vo ...
.
Structure
The six movements are:
# Allegro con brio
# Andante
# Menuetto: Allegretto
# Adagio
# Menuetto: Moderato
# Finale: Allegro
Transcriptions
Piano Trio (Hess 47)
Sometime prior to 1800, Beethoven arranged the first movement of the trio for piano, violin and cello (
Hess Hess or Heß may refer to:
* Hess (surname), also ''Heß'' in German, people with the surname Hess
* Hess, Oklahoma, a community in the United States
* Hess Educational Organization, the largest private provider of English instruction in the Rep ...
47): it has been speculated that the composer may have intended to transcribe the entire trio for the same forces but lost interest as the existing manuscript breaks off part way through a transcription of the second movement.
Cello Sonata Op. 64
The trio was arranged for cello and piano (Op. 64): this was first published in 1807 by
Artaria Artaria & Co. () was one of the most important music publishing firms of the late 18th and 19th century. Founded in the 18th century in Vienna, the company is associated with many leading names of the classical era.
History
Artaria & Co. was foun ...
.
The arrangement is thought to be not by the composer, with Keith Anderson pointing out that Artaria's title sheet for the transcription simply implies that Beethoven was involved without explicitly stating that he was.
References
;Notes
;Sources
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External links
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* - Photographs of the manuscript of the incomplete transcription Hess 47.
* - Live performance video from a performance at the Midori Art Park.
{{Authority control
String trios by Ludwig van Beethoven
1797 compositions
Music with dedications
Compositions in E-flat major