“Short in stature, broad in the shoulders, short neck, large head, round nose, dark brown complexion; he always bent forward slightly when he walked. In the house he was called The Spaniard, even as a boy.” — a description of Beethoven (from Barry Cooper, “Beethoven,” p. 29)
Beethoven’s four-movement Trio for Two Oboes and English Horn is a double-reed extravaganza. It was probably composed sometime around 1795, but later published in 1806 as Opus 87 — one of those numerous early Beethoven works that have deceptively high opus numbers.
Judging from YouTube videos, camcorders and phones do not record well the sound of the two oboes and English horn of Beethoven’s Opus 87 Trio. The following performance is one of the best, although the four movements are separated into four videos.
#Beethoven250 Day 49
Trio for Two Oboes and English Horn (Opus 87), 1795?
The first movement Allegro of this unusual Trio performed by Estonian musicians. Subsequent movements follow.
#Beethoven250 Day 49
Trio for Two Oboes and English Horn (Opus 87), 1795?
The second movement Adagio. The English horn (in the center) is about 50% longer than the oboe and consequently sounds a fifth lower.
#Beethoven250 Day 49
Trio for Two Oboes and English Horn (Opus 87), 1795?
With all the repeats, the third movement Minuet and Trio has the structure AABBCCDDABE, where C and D constitute the Trio part and E is a Coda.
#Beethoven250 Day 49
Trio for Two Oboes and English Horn (Opus 87), 1795?
The fourth movement Presto finale. At the end the camera reveals the audience of 17 lucky people.
Two oboes and an English horn might seem like an odd combination of instruments, but apparently Beethoven was following the lead of Johann Went, who wrote several works for this peculiar ensemble around 1790 and seems to have to have started a minor fad.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cor_angla…
Even during Beethoven’s lifetime, the Opus 87 Trio was frequently transcribed for other combinations of instruments, including a String Trio arrangement that Beethoven probably approved. Search YouTube for Beethoven Opus 87 for other ensembles.
#Beethoven250 Day 49
Trio for Two Oboes and English Horn (Opus 87), 1795?
Six cellos from a Seoul National University ensemble play the final three movements of the Trio.