by Layne Anspach
This month’s Chamber Music Corner will focus on Carl Czerny’s Premier Grand Trio, Op. 105. Czerny (1791-1857) is mostly known for his pedagogical piano exercises, but he was also a composer and pianist. A pupil of Beethoven, Czerny is credited with preserving Beethoven’s legacy, and he was known for his interpretation of Beethoven’s piano pieces. Czerny had pupils of his own, including Liszt. Although largely forgotten today, he composed a wide variety of works totalling 861 unique opus numbers, ranging from sacred to secular, mostly for piano.
Carl Czerny’s Premier Grand Trio in E-Flat Major, Op. 105 was written in 1827, likely owing to Czerny’s friendship with Czech hornist Johann Janatka. The work was performed privately by Czerny, Janatka, and violinist Joseph Mayseder several times prior to its publication in 1830. At the behest of the publisher, Czerny included a cello part to substitute for the horn to help boost sales. The edition that is commonly performed today is from Amadeus Verlag, edited by Peter Schmalfuss, which has reworked the horn part based on both original cello and horn parts.
In the first movement, Allegro in sonata form, the violin performs the A theme with the horn and piano following in quick succession. After an ascending scale shared by horn and violin, the B theme in the dominant is presented by the violin. The B theme continues with some harmonic variance, ending with a short cadential statement before immediately moving into the development. A protracted development, with the expected various key areas and motivic fragmentation, is heard prior to a descending scale in the piano as retransition to the recapitulation. Following the return of the A and B themes is an extended coda, carried at first by the piano but which later melodically involves the violin and horn.
The Adagio middle movement presents two melodies. The first is played initially by the violin, but the horn enters eight measures later with the second melody. Czerny changes accompaniment style and adds ornaments to both melodies as the movement unfolds.
The final movement, Rondo: Allegro scherzando, starts with an introduction of melodic fragments from later in the movement. The first theme in its full form is heard in the piano and then taken over by the horn. The second theme is presented by the violin and includes a characteristically defining trill figure. Czerny alters aspects of the melodies in addition to the changing keys throughout the movement. Tempo giusto precedes a slow Poco sostenuto in B major which has the second theme played by the horn. The key is short-lived as the violin and piano bring the movement back to E-flat major prior to the final Presto which energetically concludes the work.
The reference recording is a live performance from 2022 in Iruma, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. The hornist is Sekitoshi Nobusue.
