This movement is from a set of pieces for three bassethorns (a type of clarinet invented around 1770 and popular with composers until around 1830), believed to have been written by Mozart in the mid-1780s. The original manuscript is lost, but the pieces were published as both wind trios and in an arrangement for piano with violin (called the Viennese Sonatinas) in the 1800s.

A prelude is a short instrumental piece, often acting as an introduction to something else or paired with another piece. Bach’s famous collection of preludes and fugues for keyboard, The Well-Tempered Clavier, uses all 24 major and minor keys, and the preludes explore a wide variety of styles. This prelude is an arrangement of the fourth of a set of six preludes for harpsichord by Bach.

This movement is from a set of pieces for three bassethorns (a type of clarinet invented around 1770 and popular with composers until around 1830), believed to have been written by Mozart in the mid-1780s. The original manuscript is lost, but the pieces were published as both wind trios and in an arrangement for piano with violin (called the Viennese Sonatinas) in the 1800s.

A prelude is a short instrumental piece, often acting as an introduction to something else or paired with another piece. Bach’s famous collection of preludes and fugues for keyboard, The Well-Tempered Clavier, uses all 24 major and minor keys, and the preludes explore a wide variety of styles. This prelude is an arrangement of the fourth of a set of six preludes for harpsichord by Bach.

The gifted German composer Mendelssohn was a child prodigy who composed and performed from an early age. Apart from being an accomplished pianist, he also played the violin and viola, and he played the viola in an early performance of his famous string Octet in E flat major, composed when he was just sixteen. His most famous works for solo piano are his many Songs without Words, from which this piece is drawn. These were miniature salon pieces characterized by expressive melodic writing and rich romantic harmonies.

The gifted German composer Mendelssohn was a child prodigy who composed and performed from an early age. Apart from being an accomplished pianist, he also played the violin and viola, and he played the viola in an early performance of his famous string Octet in E flat major, composed when he was just sixteen. His most famous works for solo piano are his many Songs without Words, from which this piece is drawn. These were miniature salon pieces characterized by expressive melodic writing and rich romantic harmonies.

The English composer and conductor Frank Bridge played both the violin and viola, making an extensive career as a string quartet player. His music is often considered to fall into distinct periods: the pre-First World War music being melodic and romantic in style, with his later music, responding to the horrors of the War, more chromatic and radical in style. This piece, originally written for piano and published around 1915, displays many characteristic features of his earlier style; an affecting expressive melody is contrasted with a more animated central section.

The English composer and conductor Frank Bridge played both the violin and viola, making an extensive career as a string quartet player. His music is often considered to fall into distinct periods: the pre-First World War music being melodic and romantic in style, with his later music, responding to the horrors of the War, more chromatic and radical in style. This piece, originally written for piano and published around 1915, displays many characteristic features of his earlier style; an affecting expressive melody is contrasted with a more animated central section.

Traditional American fiddle music is a rich mix of different styles and influences drawn from Scottish and Irish fiddle music, jazz, and bluegrass. Bluegrass fiddle style originated in Kentucky, known as the Bluegrass state, and is characterised by a strong rhythmic drive, a virtuosic style, and ‘blues notes’—notes that are ‘bent’ or altered for expressive effect, e.g. the flattened 3rd. This arrangement exploits some typical techniques used by traditional players: elaboration of the melody, double-stopping, left-hand pizzicato, bowing across the beat, and a written-out improvised solo with inflected blues notes.

The English composer and conductor Frank Bridge played both the violin and viola, making an extensive career as a string quartet player. His music is often considered to fall into distinct periods: the pre-First World War music being melodic and romantic in style, with his later music, responding to the horrors of the War, more chromatic and radical in style. This piece, originally written for piano and published around 1915, displays many characteristic features of his earlier style; an affecting expressive melody is contrasted with a more animated central section.