It represents the neoclassical style, typical of his early, though not youthful, compositions. Set in the reprise form (Allegro–Chorale–Allegro), the first movement contains a cello cadenza following a sombre chorale, which – perhaps – had something to do with Mycielski’s acquaintance with the eminent cellist Maurice Eisenberg, for whom he composed 4 Preludes for cello and piano in late 1933 and early 1934. The small, lyrical Intermezzo leads to the motoric, playful Presto. The composer’s bold tonal and harmonic solutions in the form of polytonal passages find their resolution in the diatonic finale.
Dedicated to Mycielski’s mother Maria, the Trio was premiered in 1933 in Paris (Jerzy Sulikowski – piano, Stefan Terz – violin, Tadeusz Kowalski – cello). Years after the first performance of the piece, in the late 1960s Zygmunt Mycielski noted in his diary:
This little Trio from 1933 holds up well. I think there is quite a lot of music in it.
(Zygmunt Mycielski, Dziennik 1960–1969, Iskry, Warsaw 2001, p. 545).