Something to test your wits!

[Gauk]

Many years ago, there was a one-off music quiz on Radio Three, of which one of the questions was particularly interesting. It was as follows:

In the following musical extract, name the three instruments in the order in which they appear.

I was able to give the correct answer at once, before the musical extract was played, so you should also be able to answer it without hearing the extract. You have all the information you need. What's the answer?

[Gauk]

Dear me, no-one has even attempted an answer! If I tell you that the only possible answer is cello, violin, piano, can you identify the piece? Clue: read the quesion very carefully.

[Neil McGowan]

I'm afraid there's little left of my musical wits at the moment :(

So it's presumably a Piano Trio?  Unless it's the Beethoven Triple Concerto? ;)

[jimfin]

I was thinking the Beethoven Triple Concerto

[dyn]

The only "gotcha" answer I can think of off the top of my head is Shostakovich's Trio no. 2 but that's almost certainly not it since it doesn't have anything to do with the wording of the question....

[Gauk]

Ah, but it has! The giveaway is "in the order in which they appear" - why is the question not just "name the three instruments"? The wording only makes sense if the instruments are obvious but the order is not. So Shostakovich it is.

[dyn]

Ah. I think my overly literal brain was expecting the answer to be some piece actually called "The Following Musical Extract" or something. >.<

[Gauk]

This was a radio quiz ... the setter expected a sensible answer after the extract was played.