'Hochzirl' -- Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano

The formal shape and structure of an original musical composition, Hochzirl--a Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano, is presented. Following a brief perspective on the Piano Trio genre, an overview of the work's form is offered. The choice of this single movement dramatic form is shown to have elements of traditional forms, features derived from other contemporary music, and specific components unique to this work. The origins of pitch materials and their use in defining characteristic textures is detailed. Formal proportion, tempi, textures, and pitch materials are viewed as they relate to the creation of interruptive contrast-producing, and cohering continuity-producing formal relationships.