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Western Classical
Tradition
Chamber Music
Chamber Music
Chamber music is intended for performance in a room (or
chamber), rather than in a concert hall or large building.
It is written for instruments, rather than voices, and is
performed by a small group of solo players, with one
performer to each part.
Most chamber music is written for 2-9 players, although
there are some examples composed for larger numbers.
Chamber Music
The different sizes of groups are names as follows:
Duet (2 players)
Trio (3 players)
Quartet (4 players)
Quintet (5 players)
Sextet (6 players)
Septet (7 players)
Octet (8 players)
Nonet (9 players)
Chamber Music
Within these descriptions there could be many different
combinations of instruments, particularly in works for larger
numbers of players. Some of the common combinations are:
Duet: piano with one other instrument, e.g. violin, cello,
clarinet, flute or horn
Trio: string trio (violin, viola, cello) or piano trio (piano,
violin, ccello)
Quartet: string quartet (2 violins, viola, cello) or piano
quartet (piano, violin, viola, cello)
Chamber Music
Quintet: string quintet (a string quartet plus an extra
viola, cello or a double bass), piano quintet (usually piano
plus string quartet), other types of quintets that have a
string quartet with an extra instrument, such as a clarinet
quintet (clarinet plus string quartet), and various types of
wind quintet (woodwind instruments plus French horn)
Sextet: string sextet (2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos), or wind
sextet (for example 2 oboes, 2 horns, 2 bassoons, or 2
clarinets, 2 horns, 2 bassoons).
Listening Activity
Listen to an excerpt from the 4th movement of Bartók’s String
Quartet no. 4. The instruments are all being played pizzicato,
rather than the usual arco, which means the strings are being
plucked, and not played with a bow. In fact, sometimes the
strings are plucked so hard that they hit the fingerboard over
which they stretch, producing a slapping sound, like a ‘twang’.
Sometimes an individual instrument plays two or more notes
together (or one after the other, very quickly, like strumming a
guitar). This is an example of double-stopping. The harmony is
often chromatic, producing a harsh, dissonant sound. This is a
20th century work.
In what ways is it different from the Beethoven string quartet
from the next listening activity?
Listening Activity
Listen to the opening of Beethoven’s String Quartet op. 95
in F minor.
It begins with all four instruments playing a short melody
or motif (a brief musical idea or motto) together, in
octaves.
After this, concentrate on listening to the overall texture. It
is easy to focus on the 1st violin because it is the highest
part, but if you listen carefully you will hear the other
instruments sharing and developing the opening motif.
Listening Quiz
Listen to the excerpt from Schubert’s ‘Trout Quintet’. It is an example of theme and
variations
1.
Name the five different instruments
2.
What instrument plays the theme at the opening?
3.
What is the interval between the first two notes in the opening theme?
third
fourth
fifth
4.
What is the tonality at the beginning of the excerpt?
5.
Describe the texture at the start of this excerpt.
sixth