Schubert Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat major, D. 929 (Op. 100)

Another great Schubert work, the Piano Trio No. 2 houses all the dreamlike qualities attributed to Schubert today. Schubert's Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat major was composed in 1827 during the greatest musical period of his life. Ironically, this period came after Schubert was diagnosed with Syphilis (1823), a death sentence back then. Schubert composed the piano trio (Op. 100) at the request of a close friend, Josef von Spaun, for Spaun's wedding. The Piano Trio No. 2 greatly contrasts the Piano Trio No. 1, which was written several week's before. Schubert himself preferred the Piano Trio No. 2.

The Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat major is a four movement work, beginning with a sonata movement with a surprising shift to the dissonant key of B minor. The second movement, andante con moto, is my favorite of the four; a march-like Swedish folk song whose theme is carried throughout the movement. The third movement, scherzo, is an Austrian country dance with fading imitation and emulation. The finale, allegro, is special in the fact that Schubert employed a technique that had never been done before. In an unexpected twist, Schubert brought back the main theme of the 2nd movement, a technique many later Romantic composers used in their music.