Piano Trio in D minor Op. 20

Onslow composed nearly all of his trios before 1825, at a time when French musicians still considered the genre as a sonata for piano accompanied by a violin and a bass stringed instrument. Starting from 1810, exchanges between violin and piano began to be developed in such compositions, while the cello settled for doubling the bass lines. On the other hand, Onslow made use of the Germanic idea of granting the same importance to all the instruments, from the time of his Trios, Op. 3 (written before 1807). Composed in 1822, published the year following, the Trio in D minor, Op. 20 is the first that he had published separately, and not as part of a group of three such as with his trios, Opp. 3 and 14. The score came into being during the period when the composer had turned away from the string quartet (between 1817 and 1832 approximately), so as to be able to devote himself principally to the string quintet and to chamber music with piano. If the strings are freed from the keyboard, it is however seldom that the three instruments are found playing all at the same time: the piano is brought together with to a single melodic instrument, with either the violin or cello doubling. The results of this are fairly clear and light textures. The fast movements favour a sparkling writing capable of appealing to audiences in the salons. The variations in theAndante cantabile movement are of an ornamental nature, with the exception of the fifth and final one which adopts the expansionist principle begun by Beethoven. With its very lively tempo, the impish Menuetto is already slipping into the spirit of a scherzo. Some Romantic shadows hang over the whole of the work, but without the abyss being opened.