- Beethoven wrote this piano trio between 1810-1811.1
- This trio premiered on April 4, 1814, in Vienna. The performers were Beethoven at the piano, violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh, and cellist Joseph Linke.2
- Beethoven dedicated this work to Archduke Rudolph of Austria.3
- The Archduke was an ecclesiastic and the younger brother of the the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor, and was one of Beethoven’s most loyal friends and patrons. When he was about 16 years old, Archduke Rudolph selected Beethoven to be his piano teacher. In March of 1809, the Archduke was one of three aristocratic patrons who arranged to provide Beethoven with a pension so that he could focus on composition without financial worry.
- Beethoven dedicated a number of important works to the Archduke, including the Hammerklavier Sonata, the “Emperor” Concerto, and the Grosse fuge. Beethoven also wrote the Missa solemnis in honor of the Archduke’s appointment as a Cardinal.
Sources
- Douglas Johnson et al, “Beethoven, Ludwig van,” Grove Music Online (Oxford University Press, 2001), accessed February 12, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040026.
- “Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op.97 (Beethoven, Ludwig van),” IMSLP, accessed February 12, 2021, https://imslp.org/wiki/Piano_Trio_in_B-flat_major%2C_Op.97_(Beethoven%2C_Ludwig_van).
- Douglas Johnson et al, “Beethoven, Ludwig van,” Grove Music Online (Oxford University Press, 2001), accessed February 12, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040026.
Cut IDs
41075 49496 13924 19667 19667