Felice Giardini (1716-1796)

Nationality: Italian | French

Born: April 12, 1716, Turin Died: June 8, 1796, Moscow (age 80)

wikipedia | imslp

String Trio in A major, Op. 20, No. 5

(for violin, viola and cello)

		I.	Andante
		II.	Adagio. Sostenuto e piano
		III.	Allegro scherzante

Published: 1778 (age 61-62)

glossary

adagio [It]—slow tempo, often implying a lyrical, poignant character
allegro [I]—fast, lively tempo. From the Italian word for cheerful or gay.
andante [I]—moderately slow tempo (e.g. walking). Faster than adagio but slower than allegretto
chamber music, Kammermusik [G], musique de chambre [F], musica da camera [I], musica cameralis [L]—"Classical Music" for a small ensemble, generally 8 or fewer players with a canonical emphasis on 3-6 players. explore
e [It]—and
opus [L], opera[pl], Op., Opp, WoO, Op. posth—work, as in a work of art. For unique identification, publishers/composers often assign an "opus number", abbreviated as "Op." (e.g. Op. 1). A range of works by opus number, uses the plural "opp." (e.g. "Opp. 1-3"). A single opus number may refer to a collection of works (e.g. a set of quartets) giving rise to designations like "Op. 1, No. 4". For misc. works without opus numbers, "WoO" is often used (e.g."Without Opus"). Posthumously assigned numbers may use "Op. posth". Opus numbers may not precisely reflect chronology (publication vs. composition), can be erroneous, sparse or duplicative. Thus, the works of some historically important composers may use separate catalog numbers (e.g. Bach, Haydn, Schubert). See wiki
piano—as a musical direction, piano means soft (as opposed to forte meaning loud or strong). The modern word for the keyboard instrument (e.g. piano) derives from this dichotomy in that its earliest name was "pianoforte", an instrument that was capable of dynamic nuances between soft and loud
scherzando [I], scherzoso, scherzante—playfully, lively, jestingly
sostenuto [I], soutenu [F]—sustained, perhaps a bit slow
string trio, Streichtrio [G], Trio d'archi [I], Trio à cordes [F], Trío de cuerdas [S] —a work for three stringed instruments, most commonly violin, viola and cello. A more rarefied form than the string quartet perhaps because the texture is sparse (each instrument highly exposed) and the means more difficult for natural harmonic richness. But these become challenges and assets in the great trios. Trios almost always emphasize countrapuntal writing with each of the three players in strong relief.