Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 15, is the first of several pieces of music to be inspired by a tragedy in Smetana’s life. Spurred by the death of his beloved daughter Bedřiška (1851-1855), “an extraordinarily gifted child, [Smetana was inspired] to compose [his] chamber work in 1855.” (Large 65) The trio starts with feelings relating to Smetana’s anguish, followed by a dedication to the memory of his daughter torn between her life and death, and ending with a movement that gives eventual closure to Smetana’s loss.
The style of the trio involves stylistic elements of both Schumann and Liszt, as is characteristic of several of Smetana’s musical pieces (Clapham 65) and is composed of three voices: the violin, cello, and piano.
In the first movement, there is a great similarity to Clara Schumann’s Trio in G Minor. This brings to mind the idea that Smetana may have used the theme similarity to show what kind of musician his daughter might have been had she survived......
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