Elegiac Trio For Flute , Violin and Harp

The Elegiac Trio is in one continuous movement, marked Moderate Tempo and given the character indication “Smooth and flowing.” It begins with wavelike rushes from the harp, which seem to invoke G minor and D minor at the same time (the key signature has just one flat, but, as happens in so much J.S. Bach music, it is G rather than D that is the fundamental tone — a throwback to the days of modal music). Inspired, the violist sings a melody that is equal parts sustain and quick ornamentation; soon the flute takes over, and then wind- and string-player join in counterpoint. A sweet tune in chromatically modified E major serves as a second theme. As if to dispel any remaining uncertainty of key-frame, the piece finishes in shiny G major.