{{Short description|Group of three musicians}} {{About|the musical term|other uses of trio|Trio (disambiguation)}} [[File:Schumann - Halir - Dechert Trio.jpg|thumb|The [[Georg Schumann (composer)|Schumann]]-[[Karel Halíř|Halir]]-{{ill|Hugo_Dechert|de|lt=Dechert}} Piano Trio (violin, cello, and piano)]] In [[music]], a '''trio''' (from the [[Italian language|Italian]]) is any of the following: * a composition for three performers or three [[Part (music)|musical parts]] * in larger works, the middle section of a [[ternary form]] (so named because of the 17th-century practice of scoring the contrasting second or middle dance appearing between two statements of a principal dance for three instruments) * an ensemble of three instruments or voices performing trio compositions.
== Composition == A trio is a composition for three performers or musical parts. Works include Baroque [[trio sonata]]s, choral works for three parts, and works for three instruments such as [[string trio]]s.
In the trio sonata, a popular genre of the 17th and early 18th century, two melodic instruments are accompanied by a [[basso continuo]], making three [[Part (music)|parts]] in all. But because the [[basso continuo]] is usually played by two instruments (typically a [[cello]] or bass [[viol]] and a [[keyboard instrument]] such as the [[harpsichord]]), performances of trio sonatas typically involve four musicians. However, there are also examples for a single performer such as Bach's [[Organ Sonatas (Bach)|Organ Sonatas or Trios, BWV 525–30]] for two hands and a pair of feet, and also for two performers, such as his [[Six Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord, BWV 1014–1019|Violin Sonatas]], [[Sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord (Bach)|Viol Sonatas]] and [[Flute Sonata in B minor, BWV 1030|Flute Sonata]], in which the harpsichordist's right hand performs a melodic part.
In vocal music with or without accompaniment, the term '''terzet''' is sometimes preferred to "trio".<ref>{{cite dictionary |last=McClymonds |first=Marita P. |entry=Trio [terzet] |last2=Cook |first2=Elisabeth |last3=Budden |first3=Julian |date=1992 |work= |publisher=[[Macmillan Press Ltd]] |isbn=978-0-93-585992-8 |editor-last=Sadie |editor-first=Stanley |editor-link=Stanley Sadie |title=[[The New Grove Dictionary of Opera]] |location=London}}<!-- {{ISBN|9780333485521}}; {{ISBN|9780333734322}}; {{ISBN|9781561592289}}.}}--></ref>
== Form == From the 17th century onward, trio has been used to describe a contrasting second or middle dance appearing between two statements of a principal dance, such as a [[minuet]] or [[bourrée]]. This second dance was originally called a trio because of the 17th-century practice of scoring it for three instruments, and later examples continued to be referred to as trios, even when they involved a larger number of parts.<ref name="Randel">{{cite dictionary | last = Randel | first = Don Michael | date = 2003 | entry = Trio | title = [[The Harvard Dictionary of Music]] | edition = 4th <!--(Harvard University Press Reference Library).--> | location = [[Cambridge]] | publisher = Belknap Press of [[Harvard University Press]] | isbn = 978-0-67-401163-2}}</ref> The Menuet of Bach's [[Brandenburg Concertos|Brandenburg Concerto No. 1]] (1721) is a late nod to the original practice, with trios for two oboes and bassoon as well as two horns and a third part played by three oboes in unison. 19th-century forms derived from the minuet, such as the [[scherzo]], also often contain contrasting trios. It usually has a lighter texture than the principal statement of the dance or march.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Laitz |first=Steven G. |title=The complete musician: an integrated approach to theory, analysis and listening |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-934709-4 |edition=4th |location=Oxford; New York |page=602}}</ref>
The term is also used for the contrasting section of a [[March (music)|march]], the middle section in a march with da capo or the final section of one without. March trios in major typically modulate to the subdominant of the principal key.
== Ensemble == Derived from the compositions, trio often denotes a group of three solo instruments or voices.<ref name="Randel" /> The most common types of such compositions are the [[piano trio]] of typically [[piano]], [[violin]] and [[cello]], and the [[string trio]] of commonly violin, [[viola]] and [[cello]].<ref>{{cite dictionary |last=Schwandt |first=Erich |entry=Trio |date=2001 |work= |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers]] |editor-last=Sadie |editor-first=Stanley |editor-link=Stanley Sadie |edition=2nd |title=[[The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians]] |location=London |author-link=Erich Schwandt |editor2-last=Tyrrell |editor2-first=John |editor-link2=John Tyrrell (professor of music)}}</ref>
Other types of trio include {{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}: * [[Trumpet repertoire#Brass trio|Brass trio]] (horn, trumpet, trombone) * [[Clarinet-cello-piano trio]] (clarinet, cello, piano) * [[Clarinet-viola-piano trio]] (clarinet, viola, piano) * [[Clarinet-violin-piano trio]] (clarinet, violin, piano) * [[Flute, viola and harp]] (flute, viola, harp) * [[Harmonica]] trio (chromatic harmonica, bass harmonica, chord harmonica) * [[Horn trio]] ([[French horn|valved]] or [[natural horn]], violin, and piano) * [[Jazz trio]] (piano or guitar, [[Double bass|acoustic bass]] or [[bass guitar]], [[drum kit]]) * [[Organ trio]] (Hammond organ, drummer, jazz guitarist or saxophone) * [[Power trio]] ([[electric guitar]], bass guitar, drum kit)
== References == {{reflist}}
{{Musical ensembles}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trio}} [[Category:Types of musical groups]] [[Category:Musical trios|*]] [[Category:Vocal trios|*]]