A clarinet–viola–piano trio, or trio for clarinet, viola and piano is a work of
chamber music written for a
musical ensemble consisting of a viola player (or violist), a clarinettist, and pianist. The term
clarinet, viola and piano trio is also used as a description of these musicians. This combination of instruments differs from the traditional
piano trio instrumentation—for piano, violin and violoncello—and other combinations, such as for
clarinet–violin–piano trio and the
clarinet–cello–piano trio, as the viola and the clarinet share roughly the same
musical range. The combination of viola and clarinet is distinguished by the
tone quality of the instruments rather than by the
register (i.e. the height of the pitch), as with a violin compared with a 'cello'. The Austrian composer
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the first to write for this combination of instruments with his
"Kegelstatt" Trio, K. 498 (1786). Mozart's Trio, along with his
Clarinet Quintet, K. 581 (1789) and
Clarinet Concerto, K. 622 (1791), were written when the clarinet was a relatively newly invented instrument. The three compositions featured the clarinet and were responsible for popularizing the instrument's use in chamber and orchestral works. German composers
Robert Schumann (1810–1856) and
Max Bruch (1838–1920) also wrote for the clarinet, viola and piano. ==Repertoire==