Roger Stubblefield

Piano Trio

Composer's Note:

I found inspiration for Opus 12, "¡Ostifugo!" Piano Trio, while daydreaming about crafting an ostinato piece. This artistic journey was sparked by the enchanting motifs in Fritz Kreisler's Caprice Viennois, a composition that has lingered in my thoughts since childhood.

During the creation of Opus 10, "Indignation," an emphatic piece for violoncello and piano, I grappled with the challenges of returning to musical composition after a tragic personal loss. Despite the adversity, I persevered and wrote an hour's worth of music. Yet, the realization struck that the piece needed refinement"”a self-imposed time limit of 15 minutes prompted a merciless editing process, discarding 45 minutes deemed extraneous.

As I began editing, I found solace in memories of listening to classical radio in my parent's house in the heart of Detroit. A legendary tale about Fritz Kreisler during a hotel fire resonated"”amidst chaos, he serenaded terrified guests in the courtyard with his violin, presenting the mesmerizing Caprice Viennois. The motif in measures 6 to 10 captivated me, occurring once and then later in a fleeting Scherzo echo.

I envisioned an Ostinato based on this captivating section. However, my attempts morphed unexpectedly into a Fugue-like structure. The struggle ensued, oscillating between Fugue and Ostinato, until the demands of a commissioned piece, Opus 11, "The Reluctant Protagonist" for Bass Trombone and Piano, interrupted my deliberations.

During a music festival at the Eastman School of Music, in a moment of creative impasse, fellow musicians suggested a name that encapsulated the ambiguous fusion of forms"”Ostifugo, adorned with exclamation points for emphasis. Skeptical of its seriousness, akin to Mozart's "Ein Musickalischer Spass" K, 522, I took the plunge.

Embracing the audacious title infused me with the necessary inspiration to complete the work. In measures 155 to 159, I paid homage to Kreisler's inspiring section, anchoring Opus 12,"¡Ostifugo!" for Piano Trio in the echoes of a fire-lit courtyard, bridging the worlds of chaos and creativity.