Aubade for String Trio in C major

George Enescu (1881-1955)

Aubade in C Major for String Trio, 1899

Enescu penned his Aubade for string trio one year earlier than the stunning Octet and there is no more perfect contrast for a mini-showcase of Enescu’s fine art. Concise, charming and so skillfully crafted, this little lilting scherzo and trio is a lovers’ goodbye kiss, an aubade being the opposite of the serenade: one at night, one in the morning, both sharing the lovers’ impetus to woo with music. At the other end of the spectrum from the sprawling epic for octet, this little ditty for spare string trio still projects a layered, rich texture possibly evoking a joyfully whistling lover departing on loping horseback to the accompaniment of a country fiddle, a rustic Romanian folk tune in a fresh, new morning after love.

Georges Enescu (1881-1955) was a child prodigy on the violin and also the piano. He entered the Vienna Conservatory at age seven graduating at age 13. The next year he continued his studies at the Paris Conservatory. He became a violin virtuoso and famous teacher of the violin, but also devoted himself to composition. He is remembered today mostly for his two Romanian Rhapsodies for Orchestra, but he wrote in virtually every genre and produced a considerable amount of fine chamber music.

The Aubade was completed in 1899, was published three years later. An aubade is generally regarded as a love song, sung in the morning as lovers part. And this lovely music certainly is romantic with the lower voices, the cello in particular performing the role of a strumming guitar.

This is a very fine choice where a shorter work for concert is required or perhaps as an encore. Certainly it should not be missed by trio groups.