Presents
Emilie Mayer
Piano Trio No.2 in D Major, Op.13
Emilie Mayer's Op.13 Piano Trio in D Major may be her second, or not. She herself in a letter from the late 1850s mentioned that she had composed three piano trios, the D Major being the second. However, the modern German encyclopedia MUGI (Musikvermittlung und Genderforschung) indicates that she composed perhaps as many as 12 piano trios. In any event, Op.13 dates from 1859 by which time she was living in Berlin and was recognized as a prominent composer at least in musical circles. It is dedicated to her older brother Wilhelm who had supported her financially during her early years of study in Stettin with Carl Loewe. The Trio begins with a long and stately Andante maestoso introduction, led by the piano. The main part of the movement is a fleet-footed Allegro molto e agitato which recalls Beethoven's early piano trios. The main theme of the second movement, a Larghetto, as in the first movement is introduced in its entirety by the piano before the strings join in. Mostly subdued, a turbulent middle section provides fine contrast. The third movement, simply marked Scherzo, is clearly a whirlwind and at times pounding presto. The finale, a Presto, clearly was influenced by Beethoven's Op.1 piano trios, and while the piano is clearly primus inter pares, the part writing for the strings, especially the cello, is far better than that of Ludwig's Op.1 which admittedly was composed when he was just finding his way.
Emilie Mayer (1812-1883) was born in the German town of Friedland. Although she received piano and organ lessons as a child, she did not pursue a musical career as her widowed father needed her to help keep house for him. It was only upon his death at the age of 28 that she pursued formal studies moving to the city of Stettin (since 1945 Szczecin in Poland) where she took composition lessons from Carl Loewe, the City Music Director. Loewe considered her extraordinarily talented and as a result she worked extremely hard, dedicating herself to composition. On Loewe’s recommendation she went to Berlin where she studied with Adolph Marx, then a leading teacher in theory and composition and a family friend of the Mendelssohns. It is through him that he introduced her to them and their circle of musical friends,. She was a fairly prolific composer, especially in view of the fact that she started to compose rather late. Among her many works number eight symphonies, six piano trios, two piano quartets, seven string quartets, two string quintets, seven violin sonatas, and twelve cello sonatas.
This is a work worthy of concert performance and should also be of interest to amateurs. Long out of print, we are pleased to bring it back once again.
Parts: $29.95
