Piano Trio No. 45 (Haydn)

Joseph Haydn's Piano Trio No. 45 in E♭ major, Hob. XV:29, was published in 1797 but may have been written a few years earlier, while Haydn was still in England on the second of his highly successful London visits. It is the third of a set of three trios dedicated to the eminent pianist Mrs. Therese Jansen Bartolozzi. It is the least technically sophisticated of the three in a set noted in general for their wide expressive range and virtuosity - piano trios at this time were typically written with amateur performers in mind. But it is still full of character and humour.[1]

The trio is in three movements.

  1. Poco allegretto
  2. Andantino ed innocentemente
  3. Finale. Allemande. Presto assai

Instead of the expected strict sonata form, this march-like E♭ major first movement is cast in A-B-A form, with the B section a version of the main theme in E♭ minor, and the returning A section incorporating variations. There's an extended coda that leads into some remote modulations before a confident return to the home key.[1][2]

The second, brief movement in the key of B major with the theme first heard on the piano, then on violin, and then in canon. After a key change back to E♭, the music finishes in suspense on the dominant chord, making its function more of a long introduction to the third movement rather than a separate movement.[3]

Following without a break, this is a triple-time dance in the vernacular German style, using a ländler folk melody for its main material (as is made clear in the original title). Hints of gypsy fiddles and the hurdy gurdy alternate with more serious material.[1]

See also

References
  1. Philip, Robert. Notes to Hyperion CDA67757 (2009)
  2. Anderson, Keith, notes to Naxos CD 8.572062 (2012)
  3. Friesenhagen, Andreas. Notes to Chandos CD4989 (2005)
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