Clara Schumann Piano Trio in G minor Op. 17 Mov. 1

Melody - chromaticism

Right before the bridge passage in the cello and violin; bars 18-20. Generates greater emotional intensity.

Melody - sequences

E.g. in violin:

• Within bridge passage bars 24-25 → ‘standard sequence’, descending, where interval (of an aug. 4th) doesn’t change

• Size of descending leap changes every time bars 27-30 (later in bridge passage) - goes from perfect 5th, aug. 4th, min. 6th, to min. 7th - less conventional sequence

• Sequence with some rhythmic and melodic irregularity in development (92-103)

Melody - conjunct movement

Some conjunct movement e.g. descending violin and cello semitone section bars 18-20

Melody - disjunct leaps

Some disjunct leaps:

• Downward fifth in violin bar 1

• Upwards octave in violin bar 6

Melody - phrases

Balanced phrases - first 8 bars is a 4 bar phrase followed by another 4 bar phrase

Texture - discursive form

Chamber music is in a ‘discursive’ form, where ideas are passed around the ensemble as in conversation - textures therefore change frequently

Texture - melody and accompaniment

When violin melody accompanied by piano bars 1-8

Texture - polyphonically animated homophony

Homophonic writing that is augmented by counter melodies in violin and cello, bar 9

Texture - imitation and interplay

• Close imitation violin and cello in development - bars 115-130

• Interplay violin and piano in bridge passage exposition (bars 34-8)

Texture - piano textures

• Block chords - bridge passage of exposition

• Octave doubling between hands - bar 73, second subject of exposition

• Doubling in sixths between the hands - first five quavers of bar 74, second subject of exposition

Accompaniment textures:

• Arpeggio textures - developments bars 139-145

• Rocking quavers - 1st subject exposition bars 1-4

• Light, offbeat chords in RH against on-beat LH - bars 5-6

Sonority - overview

• Violin, cello, piano

• The instruments given fairly equal roles in this movement, unlike many piano trios, where the piano dominates – balance in melodic and instrumental relationships shows Clara Schumann’s understanding of the instruments, despite being solely a pianist.

• Parts not very virtuosic – perhaps intended for performance by capable amateurs as well as professionals

Sonority - ranges of parts

• Violin and cello ranges of nearly 3 octaves

• Violin part goes down to instrument’s lowest note; G

• Violin however mainly plays two octaves above its lowest string

• Cello uses resonant low range and its powerful upper range, up to an octave above middle C at times

• Piano part a range of 5 1/2 octaves (at time pianos had a range of 6 1/2)

Sonority - arco and pizzicato

• String parts mostly arco

• Pizzicato cello e.g. in 2nd subject recapitulation, bars 238-246

Sonority - double stopping

• Violin and cello loud dramatic moments e.g. ending

• Violin to fill in the texture during quieter passages - 2nd subject exposition bars 73-77

Sonority - piano part

• Active and quite challenging - wide and awkward stretches from bar 276/ towards end of movement

• Pedalling rare but special blurred effects required sometimes, where pedal held down to sustain one harmony against another - e.g. 56 at start of tertiary modulation in 2nd subject exposition

Harmony - quiescenza

Bars 1-2 for example, with tonic pedal G and five sonorities on top (1-b7-6-7-1)

Harmony - overview

Mostly tonal and diatonic, uses functional progressions

Major and minor chords - mostly in root position or first inversion

Harmony - pedal notes

• Dominant pedal (example of dominant preparation to aid movement of music back into G minor for recapitulation) bars 155-164

• Tonic pedal ending on G (276-end)

Harmony - perfect cadences

E.g. 84-85 in G minor

Harmony - Ic-V-I cadence + plagal cadence

Into bridge passage (also a perfect authentic cadence) bars 21-22

Plagal cadence ending (285-6)

Harmony - chromatic harmony

• Neapolitan 6 - bar 191 - recapitulation bridge passage

• Diminished 7th (often substitute chord for V7) - development 110-11 and 114-15

• Augmented 6th chords - e.g. French 6th in 1st subject exposition bar 11 (in same bar half diminished 7th), German 6th development bar 137

• Chords involving more dissonant extensions e.g. elements of dominant minor 9th bar 83 (just before codetta)

• Suspensions:

  7-6 bar 40 in bridge passage

  4-3 bar 143

Harmony - secondary dominant chords

C major chord (V or V) eases line to dominant F bar 40 (bridge passage exposition)

Harmony - progressions that follow a chromatic bass line downwards, using parallel triadic movement

Bars 17-20

Harmony - cycle of fifths progression

Bars 139-143, in development

Overall tonality

G minor

Tonality - exposition

First subject G minor (tonic), second subject Bb major (relative major)

Tonality - development

A very flowing set of modulations including Eb/F minor/ G minor/F minor/ C minor

Tonality - recapitulation

First subject in G minor (tonic), second subject in G major (tonic major)

Tonality - coda

Returns to G minor (tonic)

Tonality - brief passing modulations - TERTIARY MODULATIONS

D major during second subject of exposition (3rd above Bb), B major at parallel point in recapitulation (3rd above G)

Tempo, rhythm and metre - overall metre

4/4 (but feel is more of a 2/2)

Tempo, rhythm and metre - overall ‘tempo’

Allegro moderato, crotchet = 152

Tempo, rhythm and metre - tempo change

Short poco rit. in second subject of exposition, but otherwise tempo unchanged

Tempo, rhythm and metre - harmonic rhythm

Four crotchets heard in passages with more rapid harmonic rhythm (e.g. 5-6)

Tempo, rhythm and metre - anacrusis

E.g. in violin bar 164 into 1st subject recapitulation

Tempo, rhythm and metre - ties

Ties over the line in lyrical melodies, e.g. violin and cello in coda (268-271)

Tempo, rhythm and metre - lively rhythms and quaver passagework

Lively rhythms and quaver passagework e.g. violin and cello bars 65-66 (in 2nd subject exposition)

Tempo, rhythm and metre - syncopation

There are syncopations, but not enough to lose sense of pulse and metre, e.g. in 2nd subject exposition piano part

Tempo, rhythm and metre - off-beat

Off-beat rhythm in piano RH bars 5-6 first subject exposition

Structure - SONATA FORM

• Exposition (progression from G minor to Bb)

• G minor first subject

• Bridge passage Gm to Bb

• Bb major second subject

• Codetta – back to Gm

• Development (with some excursions to other keys and the manipulation of ideas previously heard)

• Recapitulation (with G as the tonic most of the time, including ideas previously heard in Bb)

• G minor first subject (repeat of first subject from exposition)

• Bridge passage Gm to G major

• G major second subject (not B major - transposed repeat of exposition second subject)

• G minor coda