A Trio Is Three, and Italian Named Most Ensembles
A trio is a group of three. Italian supplied the vocabulary of the whole orchestra.
A trio is a group of three, especially three musicians or a piece written for them. Italian dominated European music from the seventeenth century, and its vocabulary came with it: solo, duo, trio, quartet, quintet, piano, forte, allegro, adagio, crescendo, opera, sonata, concerto and soprano are all Italian. In classical form, the *trio* is also the contrasting middle section of a minuet, so named because it was originally scored for three instruments while the outer sections used the full band.
- A group of three. *A jazz trio.*
- A piece for three. *A piano trio.*
- A middle section. *The minuet and trio.*
- Duo — a pair. *A duo.*
- Italian — *trio*, from *tre*, three. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | trio | A trio. |
| Plural | trios | Trios. |
| Related | duo | A duo. |
| Related | quartet | A quartet. |
| Italian | tre | Three. |
- The trio played beautifully.Music.
- A trio of problems.General.
- Minuet and trio.Form.
Musical ensembles by size
- Solo — one
- Duo or duet — two
- Trio — three
- Quartet, quintet, sextet, septet, octet — four to eight
- Nonet — nine, after which numbers are usually just stated
Italian *trio*, from *tre*, three, from Latin *tres*.
Why is the middle of a minuet called a trio?
Because it was originally scored for three instruments, contrasting with the fuller outer sections.
Why is musical vocabulary Italian?
Italy dominated European music from the seventeenth century, and its terms travelled with the repertoire.