The trio sonata is a musical form which was particularly popular around the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century. The term musical form is used in two related ways: a generic type of composition such as the symphony or concerto the structure of a particular piece, how its parts are put together to make the whole; this too can be generic, such as binary form or sonata form Musical... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

A trio sonata is written for two solo melodic instruments and basso continuo, making three parts in all, hence the name trio sonata. However, because the basso continuo is usually made up of at least two instruments (typically a cello or bass viol and a keyboard instrument such as the harpsichord), trio sonatas are typically performed by at least four instruments. Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervallic content (the intervals which make up a sonority), later chords, in relation to a bass note. ... A cello The violoncello, almost always abbreviated to cello (the c is pronounced as the ch in cheese), is a stringed instrument and a member of the violin family. ... Various sizes of viol, from Michael Praetorius Syntagma musicum (1618) The viol (also called viola da gamba) is any one of a family of bowed, fretted stringed musical instruments developed in the 1400s and used primarily in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... Harpsichord in Flemish style; for more info, click the image. ...

The melody instruments used are usually both violins. A well known exception is the trio sonata in Johann Sebastian Bach's The Musical Offering, which is for violin and flute. A violin The violin is a bowed stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart. ... Bach redirects here. ... The Musical Offering (German title Musikalisches Opfer or Das Musikalische Opfer), BWV 1079, is a collection of canons and fugues and other pieces of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, based on a musical theme by Frederick II of Prussia (Frederick the Great) and dedicated to him. ... The Flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ...

Johann Sebastian Bach's trio sonatas for organ (BWV 525-530) combine all three parts on one instrument. Typically the right hand, left hand, and pedals will each take a different part on a different sound, thus creating the same trio effect. Bach redirects here. ... Organ in Katharinenkirche, Frankfurt am Main, Germany Modern style pipe organ at the concert hall of Aletheia University in Matou, Taiwan The organ is a keyboard instrument with one or more manuals, and usually a pedalboard. ...

Example repertoire

• Johann Sebastian Bach, trio sonatas BWV 1036-1039. Some of these are of doubtful attribution, but all are typical of baroque chamber music. They are written for basso continuo and two violins, except 1039 which is written for two flutes and basso continuo.
• Dieterich Buxtehude, Op. 1, Six trio sonatas and Op. 2, Seven trio sonatas. Scored for violin, viola da gamba and basso continuo. These were Buxtehude's only works that were published during his lifetime.
• Johann Pachelbel, Musikalische Ergötzung ("Musical Delight"), six trio sonatas for two scordatura violins and basso continuo.
• Jan Dismas Zelenka, Six trio (or quartet) sonatas, ZWV 181. Scored for two oboes, bassoon and basso continuo. These are technically difficult pieces, containing some extremely demanding bassoon and oboe parts.

Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervallic content (the intervals which make up a sonority), later chords, in relation to a bass note. ... Buxtehude Dieterich Buxtehude (Dietrich, Diderich) (ca. ... Various Viola da gamba The viol or viola da gamba family of musical instruments is related to the vihuela, rebec, etc. ... Johann Pachelbel [] (baptized September 1, 1653 – March 3, 1706) was an acclaimed Baroque composer, organist and teacher who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. ... A scordatura (literally Italian for mistuning) is an alternate tuning used for the open strings of a string instrument. ... Jan Dismas Zelenka (Louňovice, October 16, 1679–Dresden, December 22, 1745) (or December 23) was a Bohemian Baroque composer and a violone player active in Dresden. ... Modern Oboe The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... A Fox Instruments bassoon. ...

Literature

• The Italian "Trio" Sonata, From Its Origins Until Corelli Peter Allsop, Oxford University Press 1992 ISBN 0198162294 (en)
• La sonata a tre Christopher Hogwood, Edition BBC 1976 (en)
• Die Triosonate Erich Schenk 1970 et 2005, Laaber Verlag ISBN 3-89007-623-8 (de)