Presents

William Shield

Three String Trios, Nos.7-9 from 1811

Soundbites

William Shield (1748-1829) was born in the English town of Swalwell near Newcastle upon Tyne. He was trained locally as a violinist and eventually moved to London where he became a highly successful composer for the British musical theater and also a prominent performer. He was a friend of Haydn's and the two often played together. He obtained the position of Master of the King's Music and in 1823 helped to found the Royal Academy of Music.

Shield wrote a fair amount of chamber music including 9 string trios in two sets. The first was a set of 6 dating from 1796 and brought out by the English publisher Longman in London. The second set of three followed some 15 years later. During this time, Shield had traveled widely on the continent. And in these trios, one can hear what Shield learned while abroad. For example, in Trio No.8, he uses a Siciliano in the second movement, if not the first, certainly one of the first uses by an English composer. Then, in Trio No.9 the last movement is a waltz. Although by 1811, the waltz had been become popular in Vienna and parts of Germany, it did not make its appearance in England until 1812 at which time it was attacked by critics as an “indecent foreign dance.”

Besides being a tuneful works in which all three voices share in the melodic material, these trios are fun to play. Further, these trios are historically important works from the early British classical era.