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Trio in B-flat major for Violin, Viola, and Cello, D. 581
Franz Schubert

- Born January 31, 1797, in Vienna
- Died November 19, 1828, in Vienna
- Composed in 1817
- Duration: 20 minutes

When we think of Schubert, we may picture him surrounded by his friends, as is often depicted in paintings. They sustained him, protected him, and provided for him. Movingly, several of Schubert’s close friendships were life-long, having begun during childhood when he was in the Imperial Chapel choir, or later (after his voice broke) at the Vienna Stadtkonvikt, where he finished school.

A particular bond that they shared was a passion for the Enlightenment ideal of bildung, or the endeavor of total self-improvement for its own sake. They read voraciously, wrote reams of poems, and thrilled to hear many of them set to music by Schubert, who possessed a seemingly bottomless resource of musical ideas. This ability reached a staggering peak in 1815 when he produced 150 songs, plus numerous other works. Though Schubert was certainly aware of his astonishing talent, friends noted his particularly unassuming disposition. Anselm Hüttenbrenner, who knew Schubert as a fellow pupil of Antonio Salieri, recalled that for the teenager, “Dress was a thing in which he took no interest whatever,” the glasses he wore for short-sightedness stayed on at all times, even during sleep, and “listening to flattering talk about himself” was “downright nauseating” to him.

During this time of intense artistic activity, Schubert was wrestling with his future. He came from a family of educators and so took the practical route of enrolling in a teacher’s college, but it left him deeply unsatisfied. He then pivoted and accepted an invitation from a friend, Franz Schober, to live with his family and focus on art. Though Schubert would briefly return to his father’s house in 1817, the wheels had been put in motion for a life in music and a future as a dedicated wanderer, forever staying with friends. 

The string trio was written during this transitional time and was Schubert’s first completed work for the configuration (a previous attempt was scrapped). In the opening movement, a carefree mood pervades, floating over the anchor of well-balanced part writing; each instrument is given a meaningful way to contribute to the whole, avoiding the feeling of anyone being relegated to accompaniment. The second movement is slyly mercurial, but Schubert’s ability to morph from one musical idea to another with sleight of hand gives it the sense of a wonderful, magical ride. Following the tradition of classical form, the third movement is a dance—a graceful minuet with a star turn for the viola. Continuing to follow tradition, the last movement is a rondo: a main theme returns repeatedly between a sequence of new material. A spirit of the dance remains, and it’s easy to imagine Schubert and his friends of the bildung circle tapping their feet up to the jaunty conclusion and taking a bow.  

Trio in B-flat major for Violin, Viola, and Cello, D. 581
Franz Schubert

- Born January 31, 1797, in Vienna
- Died November 19, 1828, in Vienna
- Composed in 1817
- Duration: 20 minutes

When we think of Schubert, we may picture him surrounded by his friends, as is often depicted in paintings. They sustained him, protected him, and provided for him. Movingly, several of Schubert’s close friendships were life-long, having begun during childhood when he was in the Imperial Chapel choir, or later (after his voice broke) at the Vienna Stadtkonvikt, where he finished school.

A particular bond that they shared was a passion for the Enlightenment ideal of bildung, or the endeavor of total self-improvement for its own sake. They read voraciously, wrote reams of poems, and thrilled to hear many of them set to music by Schubert, who possessed a seemingly bottomless resource of musical ideas. This ability reached a staggering peak in 1815 when he produced 150 songs, plus numerous other works. Though Schubert was certainly aware of his astonishing talent, friends noted his particularly unassuming disposition. Anselm Hüttenbrenner, who knew Schubert as a fellow pupil of Antonio Salieri, recalled that for the teenager, “Dress was a thing in which he took no interest whatever,” the glasses he wore for short-sightedness stayed on at all times, even during sleep, and “listening to flattering talk about himself” was “downright nauseating” to him.

During this time of intense artistic activity, Schubert was wrestling with his future. He came from a family of educators and so took the practical route of enrolling in a teacher’s college, but it left him deeply unsatisfied. He then pivoted and accepted an invitation from a friend, Franz Schober, to live with his family and focus on art. Though Schubert would briefly return to his father’s house in 1817, the wheels had been put in motion for a life in music and a future as a dedicated wanderer, forever staying with friends. 

The string trio was written during this transitional time and was Schubert’s first completed work for the configuration (a previous attempt was scrapped). In the opening movement, a carefree mood pervades, floating over the anchor of well-balanced part writing; each instrument is given a meaningful way to contribute to the whole, avoiding the feeling of anyone being relegated to accompaniment. The second movement is slyly mercurial, but Schubert’s ability to morph from one musical idea to another with sleight of hand gives it the sense of a wonderful, magical ride. Following the tradition of classical form, the third movement is a dance—a graceful minuet with a star turn for the viola. Continuing to follow tradition, the last movement is a rondo: a main theme returns repeatedly between a sequence of new material. A spirit of the dance remains, and it’s easy to imagine Schubert and his friends of the bildung circle tapping their feet up to the jaunty conclusion and taking a bow.