Leonard Bernstein - Piano Trio (1937) 

Yes! I would probably have guessed late Romantic period, maybe very, very early 20th Century! I might not have guessed Bernstein!

Indeed. I can understand why Bernstein did not bother to publish this during his lifetime, but it provides a fascinating look at his early ideas in music. Sort of like Schubert's first four symphonies.

But then a significant amount of the music to West Side Story was actually composed by Sondheim, although he declined credit for it, content with the lyrics credit.

Interesting. I must research that!

That is one of the most absurd assertions. You have it backwards - Bernstein wrote lyrics for some of the songs, and Sondheim was brought in to finish the rest (it's pretty obvious which is which, except, perhaps, for "One Hand One Heart," which Sondheim talked Bernstein into giving him three quarter notes ("Make of our hands") because one simply wasn't enough - imagine "Make hands one hand" and you'll get an idea of the original music). The credit was going to be "Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim," which was actually true, and when Lenny gave Steve the solo credit, it was an enormous gift, financially and career-wise. Similarly, you could make a point about Lenny having help with the orchestration, from Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal. The rumor you are referring to apparently has to do with Sondheim developing some of "Something's Coming" from music Lenny had already written - nothing like "a significant amount of the music" as asserted. Simply absurd for anyone who knows Lenny's music, before and after, as well as Sondheim's.

I don't have anything backwards. Sondheim declined to receive songwriting credit, according to him, and he said the arrangement he turned down would have brought additional royalties. It seems unlikely that credit would have been offered solely on the basis of suggesting a thumb line in Something's Coming. I am quite familiar with the output of both composers. Incidentally I have music directed productions of West Side Story and Into the Woods. I think it is a mistake to make note of what anecdotes exist and therefore conclude from them that they provide the entirety of information about who wrote what. Anyway, have a happy new year.

Mr. Cooper, I don't know where the "according to him" and "he said" comes from. Although I grew up with JFK conspiracy theories, COINTELPRO, and Watergate, the latest ideas of deconstruction, of authorship, of alternative facts, is troubling to me and not my frame of reference. I do believe that words matter, and I don't know what your "a significant amount" means - 10%, 25%, 40%, 75%? I (correctly) asserted that SS did not author 100% of the lyrics, although he received the sole credit, and you don't respond to or address that fact (not "fact"). As a participant in the creation of collaborative music-theater works, I know the legal, cultural, and egotistical issues behind the audience need to assign the power of responsibility to a "final" product (as received) versus the (secret) processes that actually lead to what is presented. So I have to ask, why is this important to YOU? When you listen to the symphonic suite from West Side Story, or when you have music directed a production of West Side Story, what internal need is fulfilled by your thinking "oh, this is actually Sondheim's hand, not Bernstein's"? I know I feel it (and think it) when I listen to the lyrics, as when I sing Mozart's Requiem and come to the Sussmayr parts. Recently, one can experience it when comparing what some songs in Hamilton sound like in their "original" form, released on the Mixtape, as opposed to how they sound in their Lacamoire orchestrations. To quote Sondheim, "I collaber him, and he collabers me." Do you consider Bernstein to be inferior to Sondheim and feel "ugh" when you get to what you consider the "Bernstein parts"? Can a conductor find "the composer's intention" when there is, in your mind, so much doubt as to who "the composer" is? As one further example, the most recorded work in the world is "Mack the Knife," and it is known that Brecht actually gave Weill the seed of the simple melody. When it is performed without Weill's original orchestration and in translation, who is the "author"? If you end up nurturing and collaborating with creators in your career, I hope you will be considerate of these issues, and as you interpret existing works, I know you will grapple with the difference between what is written on the page and what YOU decide to present to an audience. The facts and truth are, all works are both performed and heard differently at different times and places. I have my "favorite" versions of some works, undoubtedly you have "favorite" other versions. I simply don't know what purpose is served by promulgating a rumor, let alone debating its merits, especially when one of the parties involved is dead.

I'm sorry, what do you mean by later compositions? He did compose many masterpieces like Candide, his Symphonies, West Side Story, Mass, and more.

The expression "Piano Trio" dates back to Haydn. Many great composers wrote for the combination of Piano, Violin and Cello.

Bernstein called it that because this instrumental combination is usually known as a 'Piano Trio', that's all.

three to five instruments, one piano the other strings are a piano trio, piano quartet, and piano quintet, traditional naming convention. I hear a brahmsian influence.

Really.......who are the three violinists? At least two of them do a fantastic imitation of a piano and a cello!

I don't know this composition at all. If it's ok to ask, what is it that makes it "a horribly bad composition" for you?

I am sorry, but it is just badly composed - in the sense of how one composes good music. It is after all something one does not only have to study very sincerely but then one also has to understand the deeply rooted tradition of morte than 800 years of compositional technique - I can not see anything like this anywhere in this piece - sorry.

I think I understand. To me, I hear elements of an experimental and adventurous nature: as it is Bernstein at 18 years of age, I 'm finding it at least of interest, especially being familiar with at least some of his later (and much later) work.

But please: there are so many much better - I am again merely talking of craftmanship!, not evevn about invention - works of composers being 18! Sorry - but maybe it is a question of personal taste. All the best to you!

"horribly bad composition!"? Actually this comment is a reflection on YOU, not the music.