Elegiac Trio for Flute, Viola and Harp or Piano: Conductor Score & Parts

 Arnold Bax (1883-1953) was born in London and studied at the Royal Academy of Music. Though Bax was a fine pianist, his main interests were composing music and poetry. His strong affinity for Ireland led him to spend considerable time in that country which influenced his outlook and music. The Elegiac Trio, composed in the Spring of 1916, was clearly meant as a memorial to the friends he had lost in the Irish Easter Uprising. Not intended to be a programmatic work, there is no violence or drama to found here. Rather, the music is dreamy and reflective, composed in one long movement divided into two sections. Although the trio was originally composed for the harp, it is eminently playable with a piano.