Talk:Piano trio

message: Is it really worth us mentioning the "piano sextet"? I don't think it's really a recognised form; that is, there's no standard combination of instruments known by that name. The only sextet with a piano that I can think of is by Francis Poulenc (for five wind instruments and piano), but that's never called his "piano sextet", just his "sextet". I can't think of any other examples at all. --Camembert
Well, let's see what the Peters catalog has on offer:
* Mendelssohn Op. 110 is a sextet in D scored by the composer for violin, 2 violas, cello, bass, and piano.
* M. Glinka (never heard that name) wrote a Sextet and a Grand Sextet.  The catalog does not specify the exact scoring but both are listed under the "Piano sextet" heading in the catalog
And the ACMPI list reveals these somewhat lesser known works for winds and piano:
* The Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) sextet you mention, flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, and piano.
* Gordon Jacob (1895-), scored for the same five winds and piano.  A note from an ACMPI member says that it is not so difficult as the Poulenc sextet
* Ludwig Thuille (1861-1907), Op. 6, sextet in Bb, scored for the same five winds and piano; characterized as a "big romantic piece" in the notes
And then the ACMPI has some strange and wonderful combinations that, while no doubt fun to play and hear, defy categorization:
* Ernest Chausson (1855-1899), a "concerto" in D, op. 21, for piano and violin accompanied by 2 additional violins, viola, cello
* Martinu Bohuslav (1890-1959), a ballet called "La Revue de cuisine", scored for violin, cello, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet(!) and piano.
* Then we have a Klezmer-type piece by Prokofiev, Op. 34, for clarinet, 2 violins, viola, cello, and piano
Also a couple of mixed septets including piano.
Many baroque pieces, such as the Brandenburg concertos, could readily be interpreted by a piano and five other instruments, with the piano taking the continuo part.  But, they're still cheifly a non-pianocentric form, in contrast to the best-written piano trios where the piano is a peer with the other instruments.
So, I conclude, based on the admittedly limited resources of my personal sheet music library, which fits on two shelves, that Camembert is correct and that there is really no standard "piano sextet" form and that such a combination bears, at most, passing mention.
UninvitedCompany 04:14, 18 May 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: "M.Glinka" is presumably Mikhail Glinka. I must admit, I've never heard of the Mendelssohn before, but then I've spent most of my life avoiding Mendelssohn (bad experience with a violin sonata as a child), so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. I guess what I really wanted to say was that while there may well be a few pieces written for piano and five other instruments, you probably wouldn't call them any of them a "piano sextet"; you'd more likely call such a piece a "sextet for piano, violin, viola, trumpet, double bassoon and flexatone" or whatever. Anyway, the article seems fair enough as it stands now, and I've tweaked piano sextet a little too. --Camembert
I'm continuing this discussion in the logical place. Physicist 15:29, 18 May 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: Piano Sextets?

message: Good to list the arrangements (esp. that of the 2nd symphony, had a teacher who thought very well of that as an arrangement - not just as a piece *g*) but are they played w/piano trio more often than the piano/vn/cello version of the op. 11 clarinet trio? (Unrelated comment - according to William Newman anyway, it's d or D minor, not d minor...) Schissel 12:39, 19 Nov 2004 (UTC)
thread_title:  Beethoven trios 

message: The listing of composers of piano trios now follows alphabetical order according to their surname, in contrast to the previous arrangement which sequenced the composers by their dates of birth.  This change has been made to ensure consistency with the alphabetical standard established in other wikipedia listings of classical compositions.  Readers of the article will be able to quickly locate a particular piano trio by scanning the alphabetical list of composers without being delayed by straining to remember composer's biographical details and fumbling through a chronological list.  While arranging the piano trios by the lifespans of composers (or better still, date of composition) definitely allows the reader to make observations about the historical development of the repertoire, the alphabetical arrangement is generally more convenient for readers to consult and editors to manage.  Defrosted 09:27, 29 Mar 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Arrangement of repertoire entries 

message: It seems to me that the external links section is becoming an advertising board for all sorts of piano trios. I think most of the links should be removed, but I wanted to hear other opinions first. The same, to a lesser degree, for piano quartet --Leonard Vertighel 10:13, 11 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  External links 

message: I've made a new article with this name. Just now it's a mere stub. Please add stuff. Thanks. TheScotch 15:15, 21 May 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Trio (jazz)