Transcript Slide 1

From Manuscript to Stage:
Clara Schumann’s
Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 17
by Katie Callam
A portion of the original manuscript, movement I measures 37-43. This is one of many sections in the trio which Clara crossed out and rewrote.
The only known copy of the trio manuscript is housed in the Robert Schumann House in Zwickau, Germany. It is most likely Clara’s first draft;
while it is complete, there are many crossed-out sections, corrections, and some penciled suggestions from Robert. By studying the differences
between the manuscript and the published version of the trio, performers will be able to make better-informed musical decisions. For example,
if a particular chord was corrected and given more emphasis in the final version, performers might experiment with how to approach and
interpret this chord. A better understanding of the score will ideally lead to the trio sounding as Clara would have imagined it.
First version of movement I, measures 37-45, crossed out by Clara.
Score marked with manuscript differences. Crossed-out section marked with purple bracket.
For this project, all of the crossed out sections in the trio were rewritten in a music notation system to facilitate comparison with the
published version. Each measure was studied and a color-coded system was used to note differences in articulation, dynamics, and the notes
themselves. This example is in the first movement, measures 37-45. This transition section is leading up to an F major chord, which is V in
B-flat major, the key of the second theme. Originally, the eighth note dialogue was switched from piano-violin to cello-violin, while the
piano provided harmonic support with contrapuntal lines. Clara rewrote this section to keep the dialogue between the piano and the violin,
while the cello slowly ascends chromatically. The revised section is more cohesive between and within the individual parts. The string
dialogue would have been a too-sudden change texturally, and the movement of the cello to a higher range would also have detracted from a
smooth transition. In the published version, the cello provides a steady rising line underneath a piano-violin dialogue of increasing intensity.