Description By temperament Roussel was predominantly a classicist. While his early work was strongly influenced by impressionism in music, he eventually arrived at a personal style which was more formal in design, with a strong rhythmic drive, and with a more distinct affinity for functional tonality than is found in the work of his more famous contemporaries Debussy, Ravel, Satie, and Stravinsky. This three movement trio (originally written for a string trio) comes from the very end of his life. It follows the standard pattern of fast, slow then fast movements. The first movement is based on two themes which pass through all parts. The second movement is slow and languid, and the final movement is brisk and contrapuntal in a compound time. Harmonically complex and involved throughout.
