Trio for Horn, Cello & Piano (Fall 2007)                      

The conventional instrumentation for a horn trio is with a violin and a piano. Among the great composers who wrote with this instrumentation were Johannes Brahms, and, close to a hundred years later, György Sándor Ligeti. Evidently, there were not many attempts on this combination throughout the history. The primary reason for this, I believe, is that the horn and the violin really do not blend together quite well. The cello, however, has a fuller sound that is capable of embracing the French horn's sound as opposed to a violin, which often sticks out in this combination.

Throughout the piece, you will hear a primary melodic motive, which is introduced by the piano at first, passing on to the other two instruments. Occasionally, the motive is hidden, overlapped ( stretto ), transposed, augmented or even inverted. The slow section is a reminiscence of Claude Debussy's "The Sunken Cathedral." After a dissonant "call" from the piano and the cello, the piece is interrupted by a violent third theme. The themes come back several times and are altered every time. If there is a form to this piece, it is "continuous development."

The attempt to incorporate the primary melodic motive into three different sections of the piece is my major task for this piece.

18 page score, 15 pages for parts, 8.5x11 spiral bound, Catalogue No. 01002