Autograph fragments of second movement, Larghetto, of Piano Trio no. 1, Op. 119.

Bookseller Notes

Although Louis (Ludwig) Spohr was highly regarded in his lifetime, as a virtuoso violinist (and inventor of the chin-rest), conductor (pioneering the use of the baton), and composer (of symphonies, operas, concertos, oratorios, songs and numerous chamber works), perhaps partly due to his style and the period, at the cusp between late Classical and early Romantic music, his compositions are now rarely heard. Yet, his piano trios have been described as 'among his freshest, most appealing chamber works, full of attractive ideas and fine craftsmanship', and comparisons have been made with the harmonic effects of the early string quartets of Schubert. Spohr's even-handed approach to the part-writing is particularly notable - clearly his writing for the violin from a virtuoso's point of view, but also his innovative approach to the 'cello part, which is often given the true bass line (with the piano an octave above), and the piano writing itself, an instrument which he had taken pains to master late in his career. The Piano Trio no.1 was a great success at its premiere, several critics claiming that it had no parallel from Beethoven to Mendelssohn either in its form or its part writing. (Louis Spohr, Brown, 2006; Spohr Society of Great Britain website; Clara Schumann Studies, Davies, 2021)The fragment here begins with the final bar of p.19 of the Wessel & Co. edition in the Series of Piano Forte Trios, no. 47. Of the slight variations between this and the printed edition, the most notable is in the 'cello part of p.22, bar 6, where the printed edition line continues with the previous bar's pattern of repeated demi-semi quavers, whereas the manuscript version takes the note, with an ornamental flourish, up one, then two octaves. Several passages are struck through, or scribbled out, a few with the correction at the end of the line, a few where the original throught was restored in the printed version.