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The trio of flute, viola and harp is a standard chamber music ensemble. It was first popularized by a work by Claude Debussy in 1915, namely the Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp, L. 137. The earliest known composition for this trio is the Terzettino by Théodore Dubois (1905).[1]
This trio has gained popularity partly due to its unique timbre: with its arco (bowed) and pizzicato abilities, the viola bridges the gap between the smooth flute sound and plucked harp tones.[2][3]
There are also musical ensembles containing this instrumentation.
The earliest two works composed for flute, viola, and harp are Théodore Dubois's Terzettino (1905) and Claude Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp (1915). The Terzettino is a relatively short work in one movement lasting approximately five minutes, and its main theme is a lyrical, romantic-style melody.[4] Considered to be a beautiful work because of its simplicity and elegant style, the Terzettino is sometimes programmed alongside Debussy's trio to showcase the contrast between the two.[5][4] Written ten years after the Terzettino, Debussy's famous sonata for these instruments is a multi-movement work that explores less-traditional tonalities and a wider range of emotions through its ethereal, transparent sound and careful interplay between the instrumental voices.[3][5][1] Originally composed for flute, oboe, and harp, Debussy changed the planned instrumentation of his trio to make use of the viola's more flexible timbre that unifies the harp and flute sounds.[1][3] Debussy's trio for flute, viola and harp is known a staple for the ensemble and the model that inspired other composers to write for the same instrumentation.[6][1] Both of these early works for flute, viola and harp demonstrate the ensemble's unique sound, paving the way for numerous trios by various composers in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
- Aglica Trio
- Auréole (United States)
- Aurora Trio (United Kingdom)
- Auros Trio (Germany)
- Beau Soir Ensemble (Washington, D.C.)
- Bohemia Luxembourg Trio (Luxembourg)
- Cosmos Trio (United States)
- Debussy Trio (United States)
- Debussy Ensemble (United Kingdom)
- Deciduous Trio (United States)
- ensemble infini (Japan)
- Ensemble Transparent (Finland)
- Fire Pink Trio (United States)
- Formosa Trio (Indiana, USA)
- Giverny Trio (New Zealand)
- janus trio (Brooklyn, NY)
- La Mer Trio (United Kingdom)
- Lorien Trio (Poland)
- Los Angeles Harp Trio (United States)
- Mauris Ensemble (Poland)
- Midnight Rose Trio (United States)
- MirAnDa Trio (Netherlands)
- Myriad Trio (United States)
- Naiades Ensemble (United Kingdom)
- New York Harp Trio (United States)
- Pelléas Ensemble (United Kingdom)
- Trilogy Ensemble (United Kingdom)
- Trio Alexander (United States)
- Trio Anima (Great Britain)
- Trio Arcane (Switzerland)
- Trio Charolca (Germany)
- Trio Beau Soir (Québec, Canada)
- Trio BECEL (Belgium)
- Trio Lyra (Canada)
- Trio Mallarmé (Germany)
- Trio Medicis (Belgium)
- Trio Momentum (Germany, Italy, Japan)
- Trio Notturno (United States)
- Trio Sospiroso (United Kingdom)
- Trio Spiritus (France)
- Trio Verlaine (Canada)
- Triolet (Italy)
- Turner Trio (France)
For standard flute, viola and harp unless otherwise noted
| Composer | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Samuel Adler (b. 1928) | Triolet (1989) | C.F. Peters |
| Miguel del Águila (b. 1957) | Submerged (2014) | self published |
| Luna Alcalay (1928–2012) | un sogno à tre (1990) | Music Information Centre Austria |
| Eduardo Angulo (b. 1954) | BACANAL (2007) | Ediciones Musicales Arte Gráfico y Sonoro, México |
| Cuatro Danzas Sibilinas (2003) | Ediciones Musicales Arte Gráfico y Sonoro, México | |
| Jan Bach (b. 1937) | Five Penny Poems for mezzo-soprano, flute, viola and harp (2005) | Meadow Music; words by Penny Walker Bosselmann |
| Henk Badings (1907–1987) | Trio No. 10 for alto flute, viola, and harp (1977) | Donemus |
| Sándor Balassa (1935–2021) | Fűzérke (Little Garland), Op. 51 (1994) | |
| Claude Ballif (1924–2004) | Trio, Op. 43 No. 1 (1969) | Éditions Choudens |
| Milton Barnes (1931–2001) | Classical Cat (1999) | Canadian Music Centre |
| Harbord Street (1991) | Canadian Music Centre | |
| Tango 99 (2000) | Canadian Music Centre | |
| Pierre Bartholomée (b. 1937) | Et j'ai vu l'âme sur un fil...elle dansait (2000) | Quindicesima Publishing |
| Arnold Bax (1883–1953) | Elegiac Trio (1916) | Chester Music Ltd. |
| Sally Beamish (b. 1956) | Between Earth and Sea (1997) | Scottish Music Centre |
| Louis-Noël Belaubre (b. 1932) | Les Romances de Gai Savoir, Op. 37 | Louis-Noël Belaubre |
| Paul Ben-Haim (1897–1984) | Chamber Music (מוסיקה קאמרית) (1978) | Israeli Music Publications |
| Richard Rodney Bennett (1936–2012) | Sonata after Syrinx (1985) | Novello & Co. Ltd. |
| Moisès Bertran (b. 1967) | Sonatina líquida (2006) | Clivis Publicacions |
| Harrison Birtwistle (b. 1934) | Dinah and Nick's Love Song (1994) | Universal Editions |
| Herbert Blendinger (b. 1936) | Tre Impressioni (3 Impressions) for flute (bass flute), viola and harp, Op. 26 (1976) | Orlando-Musikverlag |
| Konrad Boehmer (1941–2014) | Nuba (1998) | Tonos Musikverlags |
| Jacques Bondon | Le Soleil multicolore (1970) | Éditions Max Eschig |
| Cesar Bresgen | Concetti (1974) | |
| Salvador Brotons (b. 1959) | Ad Infinitum (1976, revised 1991) | Clivis Publicacions |
| Linda Buckley (b. 1979) | all collisions end in static (2003) | |
| Jeremy Cavaterra (b. 1971) | Trio (2012) | |
| Carlos Chávez (1899–1978) | Trio (1940) | |
| Brian Cherney (b. 1942) | Music for a Summer Wedding (2000) | Canadian Music Centre |
| Anna Clyne (b. 1980) | Beware Of (2007) | |
| Barry Conyngham (b. 1944) | Streams (1988) | Australian Music Centre |
| Jean-Michel Damase (1928–2013) | Trio (1947) | Éditions Henry Lemoine |
| Jean-Luc Darbellay (b. 1946) | Asia (2008) | Tre Media Musikverlage |
| Matthew Davidson (b. 1964) | Trio Sonata (2012) | American Composers Alliance |
| Claude Debussy (1862–1918) | Sonata, L. 137 (1915) | |
| Caspar Diethelm (1926–1997) | Jadis, Ballet Suite, Op. 297 (1993) | |
| Stephen Dodgson (1924–2013) | Solway Suite (1974) | Stephen Dodgson Charitable Trust |
| Franco Donatoni (1927–2000) | Small II (1993) | Ricordi |
| Théodore Dubois (1837–1924) | Terzettino in E♭ major (1905) | Éditions Heugel; Ut Orpheus Edizioni |
| Joël-François Durand (b. 1954) | Le Tombeau de Rameau (2008) | Éditions Musicales Européennes |
| Maurice Duruflé (1902–1986) | Prélude, Récitatif et Variations, Op. 3 (1928) | Éditions Durand |
| Ross Edwards (b. 1943) | Mobile (1965) | Australian Music Centre |
| Andrea Ferrante (b. 1968) | Il petalo blu (2010) | |
| Michael Finnissy (b. 1946) | Untitled Piece in Memory of Igor Stravinsky (1971) | Tre Media Musikverlage |
| Bjørn Fongaard (1919–1980) | Trio (1971) | Music Information Centre Norway |
| Malcolm Forsyth (b. 1936) | Intimacies (1977, 2000) | Counterpoint Music Library Services; Canadian Music Centre |
| Dorothea Franchi | Suite | |
| Isadore Freed (1900–1960) | Trio (1940) | |
| Harry Freedman (1922–2005) | Touchpoints (1994) | Canadian Music Centre |
| Sean Friar (b. 1985) | Two Solitudes (2014) | |
| Fritz Geißler (1921–1984) | Trio (1979) | |
| Harald Genzmer (1909–2007) | Trio (1947) | C.F. Peters |
| Giorgio Federico Ghedini (1892–1965) | Concertato (1941) | Rugginenti Editore |
| Srul Irving Glick (1934–2002) | Trio (1988) | Canadian Music Centre |
| Sofia Gubaidulina (b. 1931) | Garten von Freuden und Traurigkeiten (The Garden of Joys and Sorrows) for flute, viola, harp and narrator (1980) | |
| Daron Hagen (b. 1961) | Harp Trio (1988–1989) | E.C. Schirmer Publishing |
| Adolphus Hailstork (b. 1941) | As Falling Leaves (2002) | Theodore Presser Company |
| Lars Hegaard (b. 1950) | 13 Short Pieces (1990) | Edition Samfundet |
| Philippe Hersant (b. 1948) | Trio (2000) | |
| Trois Nocturnes (2001) | Éditions Durand | |
| Gabriel Jackson (b. 1962) | Lunae glaciales for piccolo (flute), viola and harp (1996, revised 1999) | |
| Stephen Jaffe (b. 1954) | Offering (1998) | Theodore Presser Company |
| Pertti Jalava (b. 1960) | While You Were Sleeping, I opened the Door... (2010) | |
| André Jolivet (1905–1974) | Petite suite (1941) | Éditions Musicales Transatlantiques |
| Georg Katzer (1935–2019) | Mi (1987) | |
| Nigel Keay (b. 1955) | Terrestrial Mirror (2004) | Centre for New Zealand Music |
| Rudolf Kelterborn (1931–2021) | Monodie II (1977–1990) | Hug Musikverlage |
| Michael Kibbe (b. 1945) | Trio, Op. 99 (1989) | Fatrock Ink Music |
| Valeri Kikta (b. 1941) | Nocturne (Ноктюрн) (1979) | |
| Trio in Honor of M. N. Yermolova (Трио в честь М. Н. Ермоловой) (1985) | ||
| Herman David Koppel (1908–1998) | Patchwork, Op. 106 (1981) | Edition Samfundet |
| Libby Larsen (b. 1950) | Trio in Four Movements (2005) | Libby Larsen |
| Marc Lavry (1903–1967) | Suite concertante, Op. 348 (1966) | |
| Henri Lazarof (1932–2013) | Harp Trio "The Litomar" (2004) | Merion Music; Theodore Presser Company |
| René Leibowitz (1913–1972) | Sonatina, Op. 69 (1966) | Mobart Music |
| John Anthony Lennon (b. 1950) | Serpent (2007) | Fatrock Ink Music Publishers |
| Fred Lerdahl (b. 1943) | Imitations (6 Études) (1979) | Mobart Music |
| Ulrich Leyendecker (b. 1946) | Sonata (1988) | Hans Sikorski |
| Malcolm Lipkin (b. 1932) | Trio (1982) | |
| Jonathan Lloyd (b. 1948) | Like Fallen Angels (1986) | Boosey & Hawkes |
| Dan Locklair (b. 1949) | Dream Steps, Dance Suite (1993) | Subito Music |
| Alain Louvier (b. 1945) | Envols d'écailles (1987) | Éditions Alphonse Leduc |
| Ami Maayani (b. 1936) | Improvisation variée (1966) | |
| Trio (1969); revision of Improvisation variée | Lyra Music Co. | |
| Serenade, Op. 25 (1980); arrangement of Beethoven's Serenade for flute, violin and viola in D major (1801) | Lyra Music Co. | |
| Andrew MacDonald (b. 1958) | Pleiades Variations, Op. 45 (1998) | Canadian Music Centre |
| Andrew March (b. 1973) | Dragonfly (2001; 2016) | Alea Publishing and Recording |
| Mètres (1972) | Éditions Musicales Transatlantiques | |
| Philip Martin (b. 1947) | Fantasy "Footfalls Echo in the Memory" (2008) | |
| William Mathias (1934–1992) | Zodiac Trio (1975) | Oxford University Press |
| Siegfried Matthus (1934–2021) | Trio (1971) | Breitkopf & Härtel; Deutscher Verlag für Musik |
| Arne Mellnäs (1933–2002) | Dagsfärd och natthärbärge, 3 Songs for soprano, flute, viola and harp (1959) | words by Ella Hillbäck; Swedish Music Information Centre |
| Gregory Mertl (b. 1969) | Madra's Musings (2005) | Four Glimpses Music |
| Arthur Meulemans (1884–1966) | Sonate (1948) | CeBeDeM |
| Krzysztof Meyer (b. 1943) | Hommage à Nadia Boulanger, Op. 17 (1971; new version 1991) | Wydawnictwo Muzyczne Agencji Autorskiej |
| Darius Milhaud (1892–1974) | Adieu, Cantata for voice, flute, viola and harp, Op. 410 (1964) | words by Arthur Rimbaud; Elkan-Vogel Co. |
| Marjan Mozetich (b. 1948) | Goodbye My Friend (2002) | Canadian Music Centre |
| A Veiled Dream (1977) | Canadian Music Centre | |
| Jan Müller-Wieland (b. 1966) | Drei Gedichte von Birgit Feusthuber for mezzo-soprano, flute, viola and harp (1996) | Hans Sikorski |
| Lior Navok (b. 1971) | Veiled Echoes (2000) | Lior Navok Music |
| Maria Newman (b. 1960) | The Pied Piper | Maria Newman |
| Tage Nielsen (1929–2003) | Salon (1984) | Edition Samfundet |
| Per Nørgård (b. 1932) | Billet Doux à Madame C. for alto flute, viola and harp (2005) | Edition Wilhelm Hansen |
| Emmanuel Nunes (1941–2012) | Impromptu pour un voyage II (1974–1975) | Éditions Jobert |
| Eoin O'Keeffe (b. 1979) | Trio and Over Again (2005) | Contemporary Music Centre Ireland |
| Vivienne Olive (b. 1950) | And the Willows Drowse and Sleep (2002) | Furore Verlag |
| Roman Palester (1907–1989) | Trio (1985) | |
| Yiannis Papaioannou (1910–1989) | Night (Νυχτερινό) (1937) | |
| Pastorale (Παστοράλε) (1938) | ||
| Romanesca (Ρομανέσκα) (1938) | ||
| Ödön Pártos (1907–1977) | Invenzione a tre, Homage to Debussy (1977) | Israel Music Institute |
| Robert Paterson (b. 1970) | Embracing The Wind (1999) | Bill Holab Music |
| Walter Piston (1894–1976) | Souvenir (1967) | Associated Music |
| Matan Porat (b. 1982) | Horo (2010) | Matan Porat |
| Teresa Procaccini (b. 1934) | Trio, Op. 124 (1990) | Edizioni Edi-Pan |
| Bernard Rands (b. 1934) | "...sans voix parmi les voix..." (1995) | Helicon Music Corporation |
| Günter Raphael (1903–1960) | Sonatina, Op. 65 No. 1 (1948) | Breitkopf & Härtel |
| Alan Rawsthorne (1905–1971) | Suite (1968) | Oxford University Press |
| Karel Reiner (1910–1979) | Repliky (Replicas) (1973) | Český Hudební Fond |
| Michèle Reverdy (b. 1943) | Les Jeux de Protée (1984) | Éditions Salabert |
| Marga Richter (1926-2020) | Düsseldorf Concerto for flute, viola, harp and small orchestra (1981–1982) | |
| Dennis Riley (b. 1943) | Apparitions (1983-1984) | C. F. Peters |
| Niels Rosing-Schow (b. 1954) | Spectre du temps (2004) | Edition Wilhelm Hansen |
| Trio (1983) | Edition Wilhelm Hansen | |
| Rudolf Růžička (b. 1941) | Trio (1963) | Rudolf Růžička at the Czech Music Information Centre |
| Osmo Tapio Räihälä (b. 1964) | Corpi celesti (2020) | Hans Sikorski |
| Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023) | New Gates (1996) | Chester Music Ltd. |
| Timothy Salter (b. 1942) | Mosaics for flute (optionally doubling piccolo), viola and harp (1991) | Usk Edition |
| Rhian Samuel (b. 1944) | Through Windows and the Balustrades Beyond (1998) | Stainer & Bell |
| Bogusław Schaeffer (b. 1929) | Trio for flute, viola, harp and tape (1966) | |
| Martin Schlumpf (b. 1947) | Trio (1970) | Martin Schlumpf |
| Gary Schocker (b. 1959) | Go To Sleep (2000) | Theodore Presser Company |
| Summer Morning, Summer Afternoon (2006) | Falls House Press | |
| Aleksandr Shymko (b. 1977) | The Book of Night Secrets (Книга таємниць ночі) (2005) | Aleksandr Shymko |
| Leo Smit (1900–1943) | Trio (1926) | Donemus |
| Johannes Maria Staud (b. 1974) | Sydenham Music (2007) | |
| Ben Steinberg (b. 1930) | Suite (1981) | Canadian Music Centre |
| Three Songs (1975) | Canadian Music Centre | |
| David Stock (b. 1939) | A Vanished World (1999) | MMB Music |
| Atli Heimir Sveinsson (b. 1938) | Springsongs I-IV and Minning (Manuela in Memoriam) (2006) | Iceland Music Information Centre |
| Minning II (Manuela in Memoriam) for bass flute, viola and harp (2006) | Iceland Music Information Centre | |
| Toru Takemitsu (1930–1996) | And Then I Knew 'Twas Wind (1992) | Schott Japan |
| Hilary Tann (b. 1947) | From the Song of Amergin (1997) | Oxford University Press |
| Jiří Teml (b. 1935) | Dvě folklórní studie (2 Folklore Studies) (1999) | Český Hudební Fond |
| Zelená flétna (The Green Flute), Melodrama on Verses of Miroslav Florian for reciter, flute, viola and harp (1983) | ||
| Johannes Paul Thilman (1906–1973) | Aspekte | Edition Peters |
| George Tsontakis (b. 1951) | Lullaby of Crete for soprano, flute, viola and harp (1999) | |
| Dmitri Tymoczko (b. 1969) | Cathedral (2005) | |
| Chinary Ung (b. 1942) | Child-Song (Version III) for alto flute, viola and harp (1985) | C.F. Peters |
| Janika Vandervelde (b. 1955) | Genesis III (1985) | |
| Giulio Viozzi (1912–1984) | Trio (1960) | Edizioni Musicali G. Zanibon |
| Hans Vogt (1911–1992) | Trio (1951, 1989) | |
| Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996) | Trio, Op. 127 (1979) | peermusic |
| James Wilson (1922–2005) | Consequences, Op. 169 (2004) | |
| René Wohlhauser (b. 1954) | Quantenströmung (Quantum Current), Ergon 23 (1996) | Édition Musicale Suisse |
| Benjamin Yusupov (b. 1962) | But in Vain, Op. 44 (1997) | Hans Sikorski |
| Eric Zeisl (1905–1959) | Arrowhead, Trio (1956) | Doblinger Verlag |
- Flute-Viola-Harp Trios: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
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