Trio for Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello

Document Type

Article

Authors

Alexander R. Happ, University of Minnesota MorrisFollow

Abstract

What originally started out as a string trio based on an Irish folk melody quickly took an entirely new form. After hitting a wall I kept going back to a pattern that I had made on the piano a couple weeks earlier. This was a sustained chord with tension in the upper voices, this was my inspiration for this string trio. I started with the repeating bass figure in the cello with the violas adding to the theme. Then, after the atmosphere has been established, the violins gently come forward with the melody. This idea lasts a few moments before it is abruptly interrupted by a new texture. The lower voices change the tonal language of the piece before we fully spiral into an investigation of another idea. This next idea is one measure long but is distributed between all of the instruments. As they pass this idea back and forth, new textures and different interpretations happen every three beats. After this detour we return to the main theme, however, this time it has a new destination and is determined to get there.

Recommended Citation

Happ, Alexander R. () "Trio for Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello," Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal: Vol. 11: Iss. 2, Article 3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.61366/2576-2176.1150
Available at: https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/horizons/vol11/iss2/3

Primo Type

Audio