Presents
Edward Bache
Piano Trio in d minor, Op.25
You will certainly enjoy Edward Bache's Op.25 Piano Trio in d minor if you like the Mendelssohn piano trios. Bache's wonderfully melodic trio is like having another Mendelssohn on your stand to play.
Francis Edward Bache (1833-1858), though vouchsafed very little time on earth, made good use of what time he had. He composed a fair number of works, including a string quartet and this trio. Bache began by studying violin, organ and piano in his native Birmingham where he made a name for himself as a flashy piano player. In 1849, he went to London to study with William Sterndale Bennett. His talent was such that Bennett suggested Bache attend the Leipzig Conservatory. Bache did so in 1853 but contracted tuberculosis and could not complete his studies. When he died a few years later, he was widely regarded as England’s most promising composer.
Bache composed his piano trio in 1852, while he was still studying with Bennett. It might be said at the outset, that Mendelssohn must be considered the godfather of this charming work. That this is so should be no surprise as Mendelssohn was Bennett’s ideal composer, as well as a personal friend. The Trio is in three movements, the first, Allegro, is dominated by two fetching themes, both characterized by long lyrical lines in the strings over running passages in the piano. The outer sections of the Andante espressivo, which serves as the slow movement, are gentle, a veritable song without words. They are punctuated by more a dramatic middle section which presents a contrasting mood. The finale, Allegro molto ed appassionato, begins with a happy, dance-like theme, which kicks up its heels, and which, for a few moments, sounds rather Hungarian. Later, a slower and more lyrical section appears, but gradually the faster tempo reasserts itself and leads to a satisfying ending.
We wish to thank Jane Faulkner of the English Piano Trio who made copies of the parts available to us. Normally we do not mention the CDs from which our sound-bites are taken because we sell sheet music and not CDs. However, if you enjoyed the beautiful rendition of this fine work, it was by the English Piano Trio who have recently recorded the trio on a Dutton Digital CD LX 7145. It is readily available online or at music shops.
Bache, sadly, never lived to see his trio in print. It was only published seven years after his death in 1865. Our edition is a reprint of this one and only edition. Unfortunately, 140 year old music is rarely in the best of condition. Over time, ink fades, paper crumbles or gets watermarks and so forth. We have digitally cleaned up the copy of its detritus and watermarks as much as possible and have corrected mistakes and added rehearsal numbers. Our performance copy is easy to read, but it is not the equivalent of a brand new pristine modern edition. The price, less than our generally very low prices, reflects this fact.
Parts: $27.95
