Franz Joseph Haydn (Austrian; 1732-1809)—Piano Trio No. 39 “Gypsy” (1795) 

1. Andante 
2. Poco adagio, cantabile 
3. Rondo all'Ongarese: Presto 

When his longtime employer, Prince Nikolaus, died in 1790, Haydn gained a greater freedom to travel from the remote Hungarian estate to London, where his music was enormously popular. He made two trips, first in 1791, and again in 1794, during which he enjoyed a romantic relationship with widow and amateur musician, Rebecca Schroeter. Haydn composed no fewer than 45 piano trios, and among the most famous was No. 39 in G major, composed at the end of his final London trip, and dedicated to Schroeter. 

The charismatic opening movement is a clever blend of variation and rondo forms, flush with elaborations and two contrasting minor-keyed sections. The moonlit adagio is dominated by a gently undulating piano until the violin enters with a passionate melody. The source of the “Gypsy” nickname becomes obvious in the finale as several folksy Hungarian melodies dance with rhythmic excitement. 

Franz Doppler (Austrian; 1821-1883)—Souvenir du Rigi, Op. 34 (1876) 

Born in modern-day Ukraine, Franz Doppler and his brother Karl were virtuosic flutists who toured as a duo, and later became orchestral musicians in Budapest. He studied composition with Franz Liszt, famously producing orchestrations of six of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies, and composed several Hungarian-language operas. His numerous compositions for flute are his most lasting contributions to the repertoire. 

The Doppler brothers frequently set out on European tours, and Franz’s Souvenir du Rigi recalls a visit to the Alpine peak Rigi. What better way to portray the Swiss vista and the sunny, natural beauty of the Alps than a duet for flute and horn?

Gustave Samazeuilh (French; 1877-1967)—Esquisse d'Espagne – Chant sans Paroles (1914)  

Gustave Samazeuilh was a pianist and critic who contributed a great deal to Parisian musical life in the opening decades of the twentieth century, notably translating Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde into French, and producing piano reductions of works by his contemporaries, most notably his mentor Claude Debussy. Unfortunately, he never gained commercial traction as a composer and remains obscure. His technically apt impressionist style is on display in his richly colorful Esquisse d'Espagne (Sketches of Spain). The brief work emanates a Spanish glow, and was dedicated to his friend Maurice Ravel.  

-Chaz Stuart 2025  

Mikhail Glinka (Russian; 1804-1857)—Trio pathétique (1832)

1. Allegro moderato
2. Scherzo. Vivacissimo
3. Largo
4. Allegro con spirito

Mikhail Glinka was the first Russian to achieve prominence as a composer, infusing his operatic and symphonic scores with Russian melodies. He was the fountainhead of Russian classical music, providing the foundation upon which future generations established Russia as a powerhouse of the music world.

But in 1832, he was only a hobbyist. The son of a wealthy retired army officer, Glinka left his cushy government job to spend years meandering through Berlin, Vienna, Milan, and the Alps. He socialized with famous composers and prioritized his compositional studies with near equal weight as flirting and romancing. “The only way I know love is by the pain it causes” were the words the young romantic scribbled on the score of his Trio pathétique. Written for the odd combination of clarinet, bassoon, and piano, he later published a version for the traditional piano trio.

Following the aggressive introduction, Glinka’s penchant for songwriting is evident in the sweet melodies of the first movement. The cheery scherzo is propelled by dazzling piano lines as the other voices present a march-like melody. The trio, by contrast, sways with a gentle lyricism.

Glinka composed his Trio while staying in Milan, and the popular operatic bel canto style is most pronounced in the emotive second movement, lending to the title “pathétique,” meant to evoke an intensely passionate character. That passionate titling continues to ring true in the brief finale as storm clouds quickly roll in, leaving the work with a darkened conclusion.

Franz Schubert (German; 1797-1828)—Piano Quintet in A Major, D. 667, “Trout Quintet” (1819) 

1. Allegro vivace 
2. Andante  
3. Scherzo: Presto  
4. Andantino – Allegretto  
5. Allegro giusto 

Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart was a poet who often found himself behind bars for his provocative social critiques. Locked away in the Hohenasperg fortress, he penned numerous poems, including the 1783 Die Forelle (The Trout), which describes an innocent trout being plucked from the stream by a devious fisherman. The final stanza clumsily revealed the poem to be a sexual parable, warning girls to be wary of men: an attempt to obfuscate the true political motivations of the poem. 

When Franz Schubert set the poem to song in 1817, the final stanza was omitted entirely. Schubert prioritized publishing opportunities over the textual sanctity of Schubart’s off-color stanza. Unhappily working as a teacher at his father’s schoolhouse, he filled all his free time with composing, penning some 600 songs in total, and Die Forelle quickly made the rounds in Vienna, helping launch his career. 

Schubert became friends with the prominent Baritone Johann Michael Vogl, for whom he composed numerous songs. The two summered in upper Austria in 1819, and Vogl introduced Schubert to the wealthy patron Sylvester Paumgartner, who, himself a cellist, commissioned Schubert for a quintet that included variations on Schubert’s immensely popular Die Forelle. Paumgartner was an enthusiast of Johann Hummel’s Piano Quintet that had the unusual instrumentation of piano, violin, viola, cello, and bass, which Schubert copied. 

Die Forelle’s piano accompaniment is built on a repeated upward flourish, which is recycled in the quintet as a binding element, first heard in the introduction, coloring a gentle chorale melody. The figure transforms into the triplet rhythmic underpinning of the movement, supporting lighthearted songlike melodies. The overall timbre of the ensemble is novel: the addition of the bass extends the range of the strings, freeing the piano to brightly explore the high register. 

The hallmark of Schubertian song was his ability to pair melody with accompaniments that relied on engaging, repetitive figures. This model plays out in the delicate Andante. The invigorated, playful energy of the Scherzo is contrasted by its hushed, intimate trio.  

Schubert’s famous melody is treated to variations in the fourth movement, opening with a softly swaying chorale texture with the string alone. The variations progress to a point of obscurity, inviting a return to the melody, now joyfully honoring the original song setting. 

The calming D major close of the variations is jostled alert by the chiming E that begins the finale, which opens on a distinctly folksy melody. A second, soaring theme has a harmonic shape not dissimilar from the “Trout” theme. The brazen closing music remembers the initial rising theme, pausing for a moment of quietude, and ending with a triumphant flourish.