Difference between revisions of "Chamber music" - New World Encyclopedia

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'''Chamber music''' is a form of [[classical music]], written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any "art music" that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part. The word "chamber" signifies that the music can be performed in a small room, often with an intimate atmosphere. However, it usually does not include, by definition, solo instrument performances.                                             
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[[Category:Image wanted]]
  
== Ensembles ==
+
'''Chamber music''' is a form of [[classical music]], written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any "art music" that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part.  
This is a partial list of the types of [[Musical ensemble|ensembles]] found in chamber music.
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{{toc}}
 
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The word "chamber" signifies that the music can be performed in a small room, often with an intimate atmosphere. However, it usually does not include, by definition, solo instrument performances.
{| class="wikitable"
 
| '''Number of Musicians''' || '''Name''' || '''Common [[Musical ensemble|Ensembles]]''' || '''[[Musical instrument|Instrumentation]]''' || '''Comments'''
 
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=6| 2 ||rowspan=3| Duo || [[Piano Duo]] || 2 pno
 
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=2| [[Instrumental Duo]] || any instrument and pno|| Found especially as instrumental [[sonata]]s; i.e., [[Violin sonata|violin]], [[Cello sonata|cello]], [[Viola sonata|viola]], [[Horn sonata|horn]], [[Bassoon sonata|bassoon]], [[Clarinet sonata|clarinet]], [[Flute sonata|flute]] sonatas).
 
|-
 
    |any instrument and [[figured bass|basso continuo]] || Common in [[baroque music]] predating the piano.  The basso continuo part is always present to provide rhythm and accompaniment, and is often played by a [[harpsichord]] but other instruments can also be used.
 
  
|-
+
==Classical chamber music==
    |rowspan=3| [[Duet (music)|Duet]] || [[Piano Duet]] || 1 pno, 4 hands ||[[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]] (original pieces and a lot of transcriptions of his own works); a favorite domestic musical form, with lots of transcriptions of other genders (operas, symphonies, concertos and so on).
+
Classical chamber music, or music written during the period of 1750-1820, was very airy and light in sound as compared to orchestral music and it was performed in more intimate settings or chambers.  The form of early chamber music appeared to have begun from the writings of [[Joseph Haydn]] and consisted of four movements: fast, slow, a scherzo or [[minuet]], and fast. The types of ensembles for this music was the string quartet, consisting of two violins, a viola, and a cello; a string quintet, consisting of two violins, two violas, and a cello; a piano trio, consisting of a piano, violin and cello; and a sonata for violin and piano.
  
|-
+
==The chamber music of Joseph Haydn==
    | [[Vocal Duet]] || voice, pno || Commonly used in the art [[song]], or [[Lieder]].
+
It is reputed that Joseph Haydn invented the form of the string quartet with its four movements and scholars place the 68 string quartets of Haydn as among his best works. In the summer of 1757, before Haydn composed for a string quartet, there was a difficulty finding musicians to perform, yet there were two violinists, a violist and cellist, available to perform since many amateurs played these instruments. Haydn thus began to compose for the instruments he had on hand which started his great interest in the transparency of the chamber music sound.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Instrumental Duet]] || 2 of any instrument, either equal or not || Mozart's Duets KV 423 and 424 for vn and va and Sonata KV 292 for bsn and vc; Beethoven's Duet for va and vc; [[Bartok|Béla Bartók]]'s Duets for 2 vn.
 
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=11| 3 ||rowspan=11| [[trio (music)|Trio]] || [[String trio|String Trio]] || vln, vla, vc|| Mozart's [[Trio for Violin, Viola & Cello in E flat major, K. 563 (Mozart)|Divertimento KV 563]] is an important example; Beethoven composed a series of 5 Trios at the beginning of his career.
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano Trio]] || vln, vc, pno || [[Franz Josef Haydn|Haydn]], [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]] and many others.
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Voice, Viola and Piano]] || sop, vla, pno || [[William Bolcom]]'s trio Let Evening Come for Soprano, Viola and Piano, and [[Johannes Brahms]]' [[Zwei Gesänge für eine Altstimme mit Bratsche und Pianoforte]], Op. 91, for Alto, Viola and Piano
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet, Viola and Piano]] || cl, vla, pno || [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s trio [[Kegelstatt Trio|K498]], other works by [[Robert Schumann]] and [[Max Bruch]]
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet, Cello and Piano]] || cl, vc, pno || [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s trio Op. 11, as well as his own transcription, Op. 38, of the Septet, Op. 20; [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]'s trio Op. 114, [[Alexander von Zemlinsky]]'s Op.3.
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Voice, Clarinet and Piano]] || voice, cl, pno || [[Franz Schubert]]'s [[Der Hirt auf dem Felsen]], D965, [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]'s Schon Lacht Der Holde Fruhling, KV 580; [[Louis Spohr|Spohr]]'s Lieder
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Flute, Viola and Harp]] || fl, vla, hrp || Famous works by [[Claude Debussy|Debussy]] and [[Arnold Bax]]
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet, Violin, Piano]] || cl, vln, pno || Largely a [[20th century]] invention, but growing in popularity; famous compositions by [[Béla Bartók]], [[Darius Milhaud|Milhaud]] and [[Aram Khachaturian|Khachaturian]]
 
 
 
|- 
 
    | [[Horn Trio]] || hrn, vl, pno || 19th century works; specifically the Trio in E♭ Op. 40 by Brahms
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Soprano, Horn and Piano]] || sop, hrn, pno || [[Franz Schubert]]'s Auf Dem Strom
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Reed Trio]] || ob, cl, bsn || 20th century composers
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=8| 4 ||rowspan=8| [[Quartet]] || [[String Quartet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc ||Very popular form. Numerous major examples by Haydn (its creator), Mozart, Beethoven and many other leading composers (see article).
 
 
 
|-
 
    |[[Piano Quartet]] || vln, vla, vc, pno || Mozart's KV 478 and 493; Beethoven youth compositions; Schumann, Brahms
 
 
 
|-
 
    | Violin, Clarinet, Cello and Piano || vln, cl, vc, pno || Rare; famous example: [[Olivier Messiaen|Messiaen]]'s [[Quatuor pour la fin du temps]]; less famous: [[Paul Hindemith|Hindemith]] (1938), [[Walter Rabl]] (Op. 1; 1896).
 
 
 
|-
 
    |[[Saxophone Quartet]] || s. sax, a. sax, t. sax, b. sax || Twentieth-century composers
 
 
 
|-
 
    |[[Flute quartet]] || 4 fls || Examples include those by [[Friedrich Kuhlau]], [[Anton Reicha]], [[Eugène Bozza]], [[Florent Schmitt]] and [[Joseph Jongen]]
 
 
 
|-
 
    | Wind Instrument and [[String Trio]] || vn, va, vc and fl, ob, cl, bsn|| By Mozart you can find four [[Flute quartet|Flute Quartets]] and one Oboe Quartet; Krommer wrote Flute Quartets (eg opus 75) Clarinet Quartets and Bassoon Quartets (eg his opus 46 set); Devienne wrote a Bassoon Quartet
 
 
 
|-
 
    | Piano and Wind Trio || pno, cl, hrn, bsn || [[Franz Berwald]]'s opus 1 (1819)
 
 
 
|-
 
 
 
    | Voice and [[Piano Trio]] || voice, pno, vn, vc|| By [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]] you can find lots of [[Lied|Lieder]] on several folk roots for such a setting.
 
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=8| 5 ||rowspan=8| [[Quintet]] ||rowspan=2| [[Piano Quintet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc, pno || [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], [[Béla Bartók]], [[Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich]] and others
 
 
 
|-
 
    | vln, vla, vc, cb, pno || An uncommon instrumentation used by [[Franz Schubert]] in his [[Trout Quintet]] as well as by [[Johann Nepomuk Hummel]] and [[Louise Farrenc]].
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Wind quintet|Woodwind Quintet]] || fl, cl, ob, bsn, hrn || 19th century ([[Antonin Reicha|Reicha]], [[Franz Danzi|Danzi]] and others) and 20th century composers
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[String Quintet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc with additional vla or vc || with 2nd va: [[Michael Haydn]], [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], [[Anton Bruckner|Bruckner]]; with 2nd vc: [[Luigi Boccherini|Boccherini]], [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]]. Sometimes with additional db ([[Vagn Holmboe]]) instead.
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Brass Quintet]] || 2 tr, 1 hrn, 1 trm, 1 tuba || Mostly after 1950.
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet Quintet]] || cl, 2 vn, 1 va, 1 vc || [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s KV 581, [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]'s Op. 115, Weber's Op. 34, [[Paul Hindemith|Hindemith]]'s (in which the clarinet player must alternate between a B♭ and a E♭ instrument) and many others.
 
|-
 
    | || cl, pno left hand, vn, va, vc|| [[Franz Schmidt|Schmidt]]'s chamber pieces dedicated to the pianist Paul Wittgenstein (who played with left hand only), although they are almost always performed nowadays in a two hands version arranged by Friedrich Wührer.
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano]] and [[Wind Quartet]] || pno, ob, cl, bsn, hrn|| [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s [[Quintet in E flat for Piano and Winds|KV 452]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s Op. 16, and many others, including two by [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]] and [[Anton Rubinstein]]. (The four Wind Instruments may vary)
 
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=5| 6 ||rowspan=5| [[Sextet]] || [[String sextet|String Sextet]] || 2 vln, 2 vla, 2 vc || Important among these are [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]' Op. 18 and Op. 36 Sextets, and [[Arnold Schoenberg|Schoenberg]]'s Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 (original version).
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Wind Sextet]] || 2 ob, 2 bsn, 2 hrn or 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn || By [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] there are the two types; [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]] used the one with cl
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano]] and [[Wind Quintet]] || fl, ob, cl, bsn, hrn, pno || Such as the [[Francis Poulenc|Poulenc]] Sextet, and another by [[Ludwig Thuille]].
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano sextet|Piano Sextet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc, cb, pno || e.g. Mendelssohn's Op. 110, also one by [[Leslie Bassett]]. ([http://dram.nyu.edu/dram/Objid/28894])
 
 
 
|-
 
    |  || cl, 2 vln, vla, vc, pno || An example is [[Sergei Prokofiev|Prokofiev]]'s Overture on Hebrew Themes Op. 34.
 
 
 
|-
 
    | 7 || [[Septet]] || Wind and String Septet || cl, hrn, bsn, vln, vla, vc, cb || Popularized by [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Septet (Beethoven)|Septet]] Op. 20, [[Franz Berwald|Berwald]]'s, and many others.
 
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=4| 8 ||rowspan=4| [[Octet (music)|Octet]] || Wind and String Octet || cl, hrn, bsn, 2 vln, vla, vc, cb || Popularized by [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]]'s [[Octet (Schubert)|Octet D. 803]], inspired by Beethoven's Septet.
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[String Octet]] || 4 vln, 2 vla, 2 vc || Popularized by [[Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn]]'s [[Octet (Mendelssohn)|String Octet Op. 20]]. Others (among them works by [[Woldemar Bargiel]], [[George Enescu]], and a pair of pieces by [[Dmitri Shostakovich]]) have followed.
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Double Quartet]] || 4 vln, 2 vla, 2 vc || Two [[string quartet]]s arranged [[antiphon]]ically.  A genre preferred by [[Louis Spohr]]. Darius Milhaud's Op. 291 Octet is, rather, a couple of String Quartets (his 14th and 15th) performed simultaneously
 
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Wind Octet]] || 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn || [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s  KV 375 and 388, [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s Op. 108, many written by [[Franz Krommer]].
 
 
 
|-
 
    | 9 || [[Nonet (music)|Nonet]] || Wind and String Nonet || fl, ob, cl, hrn, bsn, vn, va, vc, db||  Including one written by [[Louis Spohr|Spohr]], and two by [[Bohuslav Martinů]].
 
 
 
|-
 
    | 10 || [[Decet (music)|Decet]] || Double Wind Quintet ||2 ob, 2 English hrn, 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn ([[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s set) or 2 fl, ob, Eng hrn, 2 cl, 2 hrn and 2 bsn ([[George Enescu|Enescu]]'s set) || After Mozart's Divertimenti KV 166 and 186 it's hard to find another example of 10 instruments. By convention, after nine players works cease to be considered chamber works generally speaking, but the decet/dixtuor in D, opus 14 by George Enescu for 2 flutes, oboe, English horn, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons, written in 1906 will be included here. <!-- for now, because the composer seems to have wished it so —>
 
 
 
|-
 
    |colspan=5 border="0"| Key: vln - [[violin]]; vla - [[viola]]; vc - [[cello]]; cb - [[double bass]]; pno - [[piano]]; fl - [[flute]]; ob - [[oboe]]; Eng hrn - [[English horn]]; cl - [[clarinet]]; s. sax - [[soprano saxophone]]; a. sax - [[alto saxophone]]; t. sax - [[tenor saxophone]]; b. sax - [[baritone saxophone]]; bsn - [[bassoon]]; hrn - [[Horn (instrument)|horn]]; tr - [[trumpet]]; trm - [[trombone]]
 
|}
 
The standard repertoire for chamber ensembles is rich, and the totality of chamber music in print in [[sheet music]] form is nearly boundless. See the articles on each instrument combination for examples of repertoire.
 
 
 
== References ==
 
* ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians]]'' (ed. [[Stanley Sadie]], 1980)
 
 
 
===External links===
 
*The [http://www.chamberfest.com/english/index.html Ottawa International Chamber Music Society](Chamberfest) one of the world's leading international chamber music festivals.
 
*[http://www.chamber-music.org/ Chamber Music America].
 
*[http://www.chambermusic.org Friends of Chamber Music].
 
*The [http://www.acmp.net Amateur Chamber Music Players] publishes a contact list of musicians worldwide who play chamber music for their own enjoyment.  They also publish lists of repertoire.
 
*http://www.composerplanet.com/cgi-bin/wiki.cgi?ChamberMusic
 
*[http://artofthestates.org/cgi-bin/instsearch.pl?inst=CHAMBER%2FSMALL Art of the States: Chamber/small] chamber music (3-8 instruments) by American composers
 
*[http://artofthestates.org/cgi-bin/instsearch.pl?inst=CHAMBER%2FLARGE Art of the States: Chamber/large] chamber music (9+ instruments) by American composers
 
 
 
[[Category:Chamber music]]
 
[[Category:Musical groups]]
 
[[Category:Ottawa Chamber Music Festival]]
 
 
 
[[ar:موسيقى الحجرة]]
 
[[ca:Música de cambra]]
 
[[da:Kammermusik]]
 
[[de:Kammermusik]]
 
[[et:Kammermuusika]]
 
[[es:Música de cámara]]
 
[[fr:Musique de chambre]]
 
[[it:Musica da camera]]
 
[[he:מוזיקה קאמרית]]
 
[[nl:Kamermuziek]]
 
[[ja:重奏]]
 
[[no:Kammermusikk]]
 
[[nn:Kammermusikk]]
 
[[simple:Chamber music]]
 
[[sl:Komorna glasba]]
 
[[fi:Kamarimusiikki]]
 
[[sv:Kammarmusik]]
 
[[th:แชมเบอร์มิวสิค]]
 
[[zh:室内乐]]
 
'''Chamber music''' is a form of [[classical music]], written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any "art music" that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part. The word "chamber" signifies that the music can be performed in a small room, often with an intimate atmosphere. However, it usually does not include, by definition, solo instrument performances.                                              
 
  
 +
==Twentieth century chamber music==
 +
Contemporary chamber ensembles are sought after instrumental mediums for the transparency of twentieth century tones with their unique consonance and dissonance chords.  With an emphasis on a non-blended sound, the twentieth century technique of using different timbres with different lines of melody is brought out very well within a chamber ensemble. 
 +
                                                 
 
== Ensembles ==
 
== Ensembles ==
 
This is a partial list of the types of [[Musical ensemble|ensembles]] found in chamber music.
 
This is a partial list of the types of [[Musical ensemble|ensembles]] found in chamber music.
Line 225: Line 60:
  
 
|-
 
|-
     | [[Clarinet, Violin, Piano]] || cl, vln, pno || Largely a [[20th century]] invention, but growing in popularity; famous compositions by [[Béla Bartók]], [[Darius Milhaud|Milhaud]] and [[Aram Khachaturian|Khachaturian]]
+
     | [[Clarinet, Violin, Piano]] || cl, vln, pno || Largely a 20th century invention, but growing in popularity; famous compositions by [[Béla Bartók]], [[Darius Milhaud|Milhaud]], and [[Aram Khachaturian|Khachaturian]]
  
 
|-   
 
|-   
     | [[Horn Trio]] || hrn, vl, pno || 19th century works; specifically the Trio in E♭ Op. 40 by Brahms
+
     | [[Horn Trio]] || hrn, vl, pno || Nineteenth century works; specifically the Trio in E♭ Op. 40 by Brahms
  
 
|-
 
|-
Line 245: Line 80:
  
 
|-
 
|-
     |[[Saxophone Quartet]] || s. sax, a. sax, t. sax, b. sax || Twentieth-century composers
+
     |[[Saxophone Quartet]] || s. sax, a. sax, t. sax, b. sax || Twentieth century composers
  
 
|-
 
|-
     |[[Flute quartet]] || 4 fls || Examples include those by [[Friedrich Kuhlau]], [[Anton Reicha]], [[Eugène Bozza]], [[Florent Schmitt]] and [[Joseph Jongen]]
+
     |[[Flute quartet]] || 4 fls || Examples include those by [[Friedrich Kuhlau]], [[Anton Reicha]], [[Eugène Bozza]], [[Florent Schmitt]], and [[Joseph Jongen]]
  
 
|-
 
|-
     | Wind Instrument and [[String Trio]] || vn, va, vc and fl, ob, cl, bsn|| By Mozart you can find four [[Flute quartet|Flute Quartets]] and one Oboe Quartet; Krommer wrote Flute Quartets (eg opus 75) Clarinet Quartets and Bassoon Quartets (eg his opus 46 set); Devienne wrote a Bassoon Quartet  
+
     | Wind Instrument and [[String Trio]] || vn, va, vc and fl, ob, cl, bsn|| By Mozart you can find four [[Flute quartet|Flute Quartets]] and one Oboe Quartet; Krommer wrote Flute Quartets (eg opus 75) Clarinet Quartets and Bassoon Quartets (such as his opus 46 set); Devienne wrote a Bassoon Quartet  
  
 
|-
 
|-
Line 261: Line 96:
  
 
|-
 
|-
     |rowspan=8| 5 ||rowspan=8| [[Quintet]] ||rowspan=2| [[Piano Quintet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc, pno || [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], [[Béla Bartók]], [[Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich]] and others
+
     |rowspan=8| 5 ||rowspan=8| [[Quintet]] ||rowspan=2| [[Piano Quintet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc, pno || [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], [[Béla Bartók]], [[Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich]], and others
  
 
|-
 
|-
Line 279: Line 114:
 
     | || cl, pno left hand, vn, va, vc|| [[Franz Schmidt|Schmidt]]'s chamber pieces dedicated to the pianist Paul Wittgenstein (who played with left hand only), although they are almost always performed nowadays in a two hands version arranged by Friedrich Wührer.
 
     | || cl, pno left hand, vn, va, vc|| [[Franz Schmidt|Schmidt]]'s chamber pieces dedicated to the pianist Paul Wittgenstein (who played with left hand only), although they are almost always performed nowadays in a two hands version arranged by Friedrich Wührer.
 
|-  
 
|-  
     | [[Piano]] and [[Wind Quartet]] || pno, ob, cl, bsn, hrn|| [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s [[Quintet in E flat for Piano and Winds|KV 452]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s Op. 16, and many others, including two by [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]] and [[Anton Rubinstein]]. (The four Wind Instruments may vary)
+
     | [[Piano]] and [[Wind Quartet]] || pno, ob, cl, bsn, hrn|| [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s [[Quintet in E flat for Piano and Winds|KV 452]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s Op. 16, and many others, including two by [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]] and [[Anton Rubinstein]]. (The four wind instruments may vary.)
  
 
|-
 
|-
Line 290: Line 125:
  
 
|-
 
|-
     | [[Piano sextet|Piano Sextet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc, cb, pno || e.g. Mendelssohn's Op. 110, also one by [[Leslie Bassett]]. ([http://dram.nyu.edu/dram/Objid/28894])
+
     | [[Piano sextet|Piano Sextet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc, cb, pno || e.g. Mendelssohn's Op. 110, also one by [[Leslie Bassett]].
  
 
|-
 
|-
Line 314: Line 149:
  
 
|-
 
|-
     | 10 || [[Decet (music)|Decet]] || Double Wind Quintet ||2 ob, 2 English hrn, 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn ([[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s set) or 2 fl, ob, Eng hrn, 2 cl, 2 hrn and 2 bsn ([[George Enescu|Enescu]]'s set) || After Mozart's Divertimenti KV 166 and 186 it's hard to find another example of 10 instruments. By convention, after nine players works cease to be considered chamber works generally speaking, but the decet/dixtuor in D, opus 14 by George Enescu for 2 flutes, oboe, English horn, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons, written in 1906 will be included here. <!-- for now, because the composer seems to have wished it so —>
+
     | 10 || [[Decet (music)|Decet]] || Double Wind Quintet ||2 ob, 2 English hrn, 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn ([[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s set) or 2 fl, ob, Eng hrn, 2 cl, 2 hrn and 2 bsn ([[George Enescu|Enescu]]'s set) || After Mozart's Divertimenti KV 166 and 186 it's hard to find another example of 10 instruments. By convention, after nine players works cease to be considered chamber works, generally speaking, but the decet/dixtuor in D, opus 14 by George Enescu for 2 flutes, oboe, English horn, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons, written in 1906, will be included here. <!-- for now, because the composer seems to have wished it so —>
  
 
|-
 
|-
     |colspan=5 border="0"| Key: vln - [[violin]]; vla - [[viola]]; vc - [[cello]]; cb - [[double bass]]; pno - [[piano]]; fl - [[flute]]; ob - [[oboe]]; Eng hrn - [[English horn]]; cl - [[clarinet]]; s. sax - [[soprano saxophone]]; a. sax - [[alto saxophone]]; t. sax - [[tenor saxophone]]; b. sax - [[baritone saxophone]]; bsn - [[bassoon]]; hrn - [[Horn (instrument)|horn]]; tr - [[trumpet]]; trm - [[trombone]]
+
     |colspan=5 border="0"| Key: vln--[[violin]]; vla--[[viola]]; vc--[[cello]]; cb--[[double bass]]; pno--[[piano]]; fl--[[flute]]; ob--[[oboe]]; Eng hrn--[[English horn]]; cl--[[clarinet]]; s. sax--[[soprano saxophone]]; a. sax--[[alto saxophone]]; t. sax--[[tenor saxophone]]; b. sax--[[baritone saxophone]]; bsn--[[bassoon]]; hrn--[[Horn (instrument)|horn]]; tr--[[trumpet]]; trm--[[trombone]]
 
|}
 
|}
 
The standard repertoire for chamber ensembles is rich, and the totality of chamber music in print in [[sheet music]] form is nearly boundless. See the articles on each instrument combination for examples of repertoire.
 
The standard repertoire for chamber ensembles is rich, and the totality of chamber music in print in [[sheet music]] form is nearly boundless. See the articles on each instrument combination for examples of repertoire.
  
 
== References ==
 
== References ==
* ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians]]'' (ed. [[Stanley Sadie]], 1980)
+
* Beethven, Ludwig van and Albert E. Wier. ''The Chamber Music of Beethoven.'' New York: Longmans, Green, 1940.  
 
+
* Hefling, Stephen E. ''Nineteenth Century Chamber Music.'' New York: Routledge, 2004. ISBN 0-203-49308-7
===External links===
+
* Sadie, Stanley, ed. ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.'' London: Macmillan Publisher Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1-561-59174-2
*The [http://www.chamberfest.com/english/index.html Ottawa International Chamber Music Society](Chamberfest) one of the world's leading international chamber music festivals.
+
* Ulrich, Homerm ''Chamber Music.'' New York: Columbia University Press, 1966.  
*[http://www.chamber-music.org/ Chamber Music America].
 
*[http://www.chambermusic.org Friends of Chamber Music].
 
*The [http://www.acmp.net Amateur Chamber Music Players] publishes a contact list of musicians worldwide who play chamber music for their own enjoyment.  They also publish lists of repertoire.
 
*http://www.composerplanet.com/cgi-bin/wiki.cgi?ChamberMusic
 
*[http://artofthestates.org/cgi-bin/instsearch.pl?inst=CHAMBER%2FSMALL Art of the States: Chamber/small] chamber music (3-8 instruments) by American composers
 
*[http://artofthestates.org/cgi-bin/instsearch.pl?inst=CHAMBER%2FLARGE Art of the States: Chamber/large] chamber music (9+ instruments) by American composers
 
  
[[Category:Chamber music]]
+
==External links==
[[Category:Musical groups]]
+
All links retrieved January 25, 2017.
[[Category:Ottawa Chamber Music Festival]]
 
  
[[ar:موسيقى الحجرة]]
 
[[ca:Música de cambra]]
 
[[da:Kammermusik]]
 
[[de:Kammermusik]]
 
[[et:Kammermuusika]]
 
[[es:Música de cámara]]
 
[[fr:Musique de chambre]]
 
[[it:Musica da camera]]
 
[[he:מוזיקה קאמרית]]
 
[[nl:Kamermuziek]]
 
[[ja:重奏]]
 
[[no:Kammermusikk]]
 
[[nn:Kammermusikk]]
 
[[simple:Chamber music]]
 
[[sl:Komorna glasba]]
 
[[fi:Kamarimusiikki]]
 
[[sv:Kammarmusik]]
 
[[th:แชมเบอร์มิวสิค]]
 
[[zh:室内乐]]
 
'''Chamber music''' is a form of [[classical music]], written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any "art music" that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part. The word "chamber" signifies that the music can be performed in a small room, often with an intimate atmosphere. However, it usually does not include, by definition, solo instrument performances.                                             
 
 
== Ensembles ==
 
This is a partial list of the types of [[Musical ensemble|ensembles]] found in chamber music.
 
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
| '''Number of Musicians''' || '''Name''' || '''Common [[Musical ensemble|Ensembles]]''' || '''[[Musical instrument|Instrumentation]]''' || '''Comments'''
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=6| 2 ||rowspan=3| Duo || [[Piano Duo]] || 2 pno
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=2| [[Instrumental Duo]] || any instrument and pno|| Found especially as instrumental [[sonata]]s; i.e., [[Violin sonata|violin]], [[Cello sonata|cello]], [[Viola sonata|viola]], [[Horn sonata|horn]], [[Bassoon sonata|bassoon]], [[Clarinet sonata|clarinet]], [[Flute sonata|flute]] sonatas).
 
|-
 
    |any instrument and [[figured bass|basso continuo]] || Common in [[baroque music]] predating the piano.  The basso continuo part is always present to provide rhythm and accompaniment, and is often played by a [[harpsichord]] but other instruments can also be used.
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=3| [[Duet (music)|Duet]] || [[Piano Duet]] || 1 pno, 4 hands ||[[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]] (original pieces and a lot of transcriptions of his own works); a favorite domestic musical form, with lots of transcriptions of other genders (operas, symphonies, concertos and so on).
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Vocal Duet]] || voice, pno || Commonly used in the art [[song]], or [[Lieder]].
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Instrumental Duet]] || 2 of any instrument, either equal or not || Mozart's Duets KV 423 and 424 for vn and va and Sonata KV 292 for bsn and vc; Beethoven's Duet for va and vc; [[Bartok|Béla Bartók]]'s Duets for 2 vn.
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=11| 3 ||rowspan=11| [[trio (music)|Trio]] || [[String trio|String Trio]] || vln, vla, vc|| Mozart's [[Trio for Violin, Viola & Cello in E flat major, K. 563 (Mozart)|Divertimento KV 563]] is an important example; Beethoven composed a series of  5 Trios at the beginning of his career.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano Trio]] || vln, vc, pno || [[Franz Josef Haydn|Haydn]], [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]] and many others.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Voice, Viola and Piano]] || sop, vla, pno || [[William Bolcom]]'s trio Let Evening Come for Soprano, Viola and Piano, and [[Johannes Brahms]]' [[Zwei Gesänge für eine Altstimme mit Bratsche und Pianoforte]], Op. 91, for Alto, Viola and Piano
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet, Viola and Piano]] || cl, vla, pno || [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s trio [[Kegelstatt Trio|K498]], other works by [[Robert Schumann]] and [[Max Bruch]]
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet, Cello and Piano]] || cl, vc, pno || [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s trio Op. 11, as well as his own transcription, Op. 38, of the Septet, Op. 20; [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]'s trio Op. 114, [[Alexander von Zemlinsky]]'s Op.3.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Voice, Clarinet and Piano]] || voice, cl, pno || [[Franz Schubert]]'s [[Der Hirt auf dem Felsen]], D965, [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]'s Schon Lacht Der Holde Fruhling, KV 580; [[Louis Spohr|Spohr]]'s Lieder
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Flute, Viola and Harp]] || fl, vla, hrp || Famous works by [[Claude Debussy|Debussy]] and [[Arnold Bax]]
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet, Violin, Piano]] || cl, vln, pno || Largely a [[20th century]] invention, but growing in popularity; famous compositions by [[Béla Bartók]], [[Darius Milhaud|Milhaud]] and [[Aram Khachaturian|Khachaturian]]
 
 
|- 
 
    | [[Horn Trio]] || hrn, vl, pno || 19th century works; specifically the Trio in E♭ Op. 40 by Brahms
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Soprano, Horn and Piano]] || sop, hrn, pno || [[Franz Schubert]]'s Auf Dem Strom
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Reed Trio]] || ob, cl, bsn || 20th century composers
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=8| 4 ||rowspan=8| [[Quartet]] || [[String Quartet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc ||Very popular form. Numerous major examples by Haydn (its creator), Mozart, Beethoven and many other leading composers (see article).
 
 
|-
 
    |[[Piano Quartet]] || vln, vla, vc, pno || Mozart's KV 478 and 493; Beethoven youth compositions; Schumann, Brahms
 
 
|-
 
    | Violin, Clarinet, Cello and Piano || vln, cl, vc, pno || Rare; famous example: [[Olivier Messiaen|Messiaen]]'s [[Quatuor pour la fin du temps]]; less famous: [[Paul Hindemith|Hindemith]] (1938), [[Walter Rabl]] (Op. 1; 1896).
 
 
|-
 
    |[[Saxophone Quartet]] || s. sax, a. sax, t. sax, b. sax || Twentieth-century composers
 
 
|-
 
    |[[Flute quartet]] || 4 fls || Examples include those by [[Friedrich Kuhlau]], [[Anton Reicha]], [[Eugène Bozza]], [[Florent Schmitt]] and [[Joseph Jongen]]
 
 
|-
 
    | Wind Instrument and [[String Trio]] || vn, va, vc and fl, ob, cl, bsn|| By Mozart you can find four [[Flute quartet|Flute Quartets]] and one Oboe Quartet; Krommer wrote Flute Quartets (eg opus 75) Clarinet Quartets and Bassoon Quartets (eg his opus 46 set); Devienne wrote a Bassoon Quartet
 
 
|-
 
    | Piano and Wind Trio || pno, cl, hrn, bsn || [[Franz Berwald]]'s opus 1 (1819)
 
 
|-
 
 
    | Voice and [[Piano Trio]] || voice, pno, vn, vc|| By [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]] you can find lots of [[Lied|Lieder]] on several folk roots for such a setting.
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=8| 5 ||rowspan=8| [[Quintet]] ||rowspan=2| [[Piano Quintet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc, pno || [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], [[Béla Bartók]], [[Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich]] and others
 
 
|-
 
    | vln, vla, vc, cb, pno || An uncommon instrumentation used by [[Franz Schubert]] in his [[Trout Quintet]] as well as by [[Johann Nepomuk Hummel]] and [[Louise Farrenc]].
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Wind quintet|Woodwind Quintet]] || fl, cl, ob, bsn, hrn || 19th century ([[Antonin Reicha|Reicha]], [[Franz Danzi|Danzi]] and others) and 20th century composers
 
 
|-
 
    | [[String Quintet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc with additional vla or vc || with 2nd va: [[Michael Haydn]], [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], [[Anton Bruckner|Bruckner]]; with 2nd vc: [[Luigi Boccherini|Boccherini]], [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]]. Sometimes with additional db ([[Vagn Holmboe]]) instead.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Brass Quintet]] || 2 tr, 1 hrn, 1 trm, 1 tuba || Mostly after 1950.
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet Quintet]] || cl, 2 vn, 1 va, 1 vc || [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s KV 581, [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]'s Op. 115, Weber's Op. 34, [[Paul Hindemith|Hindemith]]'s (in which the clarinet player must alternate between a B♭ and a E♭ instrument) and many others.
 
|-
 
    | || cl, pno left hand, vn, va, vc|| [[Franz Schmidt|Schmidt]]'s chamber pieces dedicated to the pianist Paul Wittgenstein (who played with left hand only), although they are almost always performed nowadays in a two hands version arranged by Friedrich Wührer.
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano]] and [[Wind Quartet]] || pno, ob, cl, bsn, hrn|| [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s [[Quintet in E flat for Piano and Winds|KV 452]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s Op. 16, and many others, including two by [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]] and [[Anton Rubinstein]]. (The four Wind Instruments may vary)
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=5| 6 ||rowspan=5| [[Sextet]] || [[String sextet|String Sextet]] || 2 vln, 2 vla, 2 vc || Important among these are [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]' Op. 18 and Op. 36 Sextets, and [[Arnold Schoenberg|Schoenberg]]'s Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 (original version).
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Wind Sextet]] || 2 ob, 2 bsn, 2 hrn or 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn || By [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] there are the two types; [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]] used the one with cl
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano]] and [[Wind Quintet]] || fl, ob, cl, bsn, hrn, pno || Such as the [[Francis Poulenc|Poulenc]] Sextet, and another by [[Ludwig Thuille]].
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano sextet|Piano Sextet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc, cb, pno || e.g. Mendelssohn's Op. 110, also one by [[Leslie Bassett]]. ([http://dram.nyu.edu/dram/Objid/28894])
 
 
|-
 
    |  || cl, 2 vln, vla, vc, pno || An example is [[Sergei Prokofiev|Prokofiev]]'s Overture on Hebrew Themes Op. 34.
 
 
|-
 
    | 7 || [[Septet]] || Wind and String Septet || cl, hrn, bsn, vln, vla, vc, cb || Popularized by [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Septet (Beethoven)|Septet]] Op. 20, [[Franz Berwald|Berwald]]'s, and many others.
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=4| 8 ||rowspan=4| [[Octet (music)|Octet]] || Wind and String Octet || cl, hrn, bsn, 2 vln, vla, vc, cb || Popularized by [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]]'s [[Octet (Schubert)|Octet D. 803]], inspired by Beethoven's Septet.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[String Octet]] || 4 vln, 2 vla, 2 vc || Popularized by [[Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn]]'s [[Octet (Mendelssohn)|String Octet Op. 20]]. Others (among them works by [[Woldemar Bargiel]], [[George Enescu]], and a pair of pieces by [[Dmitri Shostakovich]]) have followed.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Double Quartet]] || 4 vln, 2 vla, 2 vc || Two [[string quartet]]s arranged [[antiphon]]ically.  A genre preferred by [[Louis Spohr]]. Darius Milhaud's Op. 291 Octet is, rather, a couple of String Quartets (his 14th and 15th) performed simultaneously
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Wind Octet]] || 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn || [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s  KV 375 and 388, [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s Op. 108, many written by [[Franz Krommer]].
 
 
|-
 
    | 9 || [[Nonet (music)|Nonet]] || Wind and String Nonet || fl, ob, cl, hrn, bsn, vn, va, vc, db||  Including one written by [[Louis Spohr|Spohr]], and two by [[Bohuslav Martinů]].
 
 
|-
 
    | 10 || [[Decet (music)|Decet]] || Double Wind Quintet ||2 ob, 2 English hrn, 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn ([[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s set) or 2 fl, ob, Eng hrn, 2 cl, 2 hrn and 2 bsn ([[George Enescu|Enescu]]'s set) || After Mozart's Divertimenti KV 166 and 186 it's hard to find another example of 10 instruments. By convention, after nine players works cease to be considered chamber works generally speaking, but the decet/dixtuor in D, opus 14 by George Enescu for 2 flutes, oboe, English horn, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons, written in 1906 will be included here. <!-- for now, because the composer seems to have wished it so —>
 
 
|-
 
    |colspan=5 border="0"| Key: vln - [[violin]]; vla - [[viola]]; vc - [[cello]]; cb - [[double bass]]; pno - [[piano]]; fl - [[flute]]; ob - [[oboe]]; Eng hrn - [[English horn]]; cl - [[clarinet]]; s. sax - [[soprano saxophone]]; a. sax - [[alto saxophone]]; t. sax - [[tenor saxophone]]; b. sax - [[baritone saxophone]]; bsn - [[bassoon]]; hrn - [[Horn (instrument)|horn]]; tr - [[trumpet]]; trm - [[trombone]]
 
|}
 
The standard repertoire for chamber ensembles is rich, and the totality of chamber music in print in [[sheet music]] form is nearly boundless. See the articles on each instrument combination for examples of repertoire.
 
 
== References ==
 
* ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians]]'' (ed. [[Stanley Sadie]], 1980)
 
 
===External links===
 
*The [http://www.chamberfest.com/english/index.html Ottawa International Chamber Music Society](Chamberfest) one of the world's leading international chamber music festivals.
 
 
*[http://www.chamber-music.org/ Chamber Music America].
 
*[http://www.chamber-music.org/ Chamber Music America].
*[http://www.chambermusic.org Friends of Chamber Music].
+
*[http://www.chambermusic.org Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City].
*The [http://www.acmp.net Amateur Chamber Music Players] publishes a contact list of musicians worldwide who play chamber music for their own enjoyment. They also publish lists of repertoire.
+
*The [http://www.acmp.net Amateur Chamber Music Players] publishes a contact list of musicians worldwide who play chamber music for their own enjoyment. They also publish lists of repertoire.  
*http://www.composerplanet.com/cgi-bin/wiki.cgi?ChamberMusic
 
*[http://artofthestates.org/cgi-bin/instsearch.pl?inst=CHAMBER%2FSMALL Art of the States: Chamber/small] chamber music (3-8 instruments) by American composers
 
*[http://artofthestates.org/cgi-bin/instsearch.pl?inst=CHAMBER%2FLARGE Art of the States: Chamber/large] chamber music (9+ instruments) by American composers
 
 
 
[[Category:Chamber music]]
 
[[Category:Musical groups]]
 
[[Category:Ottawa Chamber Music Festival]]
 
  
[[ar:موسيقى الحجرة]]
 
[[ca:Música de cambra]]
 
[[da:Kammermusik]]
 
[[de:Kammermusik]]
 
[[et:Kammermuusika]]
 
[[es:Música de cámara]]
 
[[fr:Musique de chambre]]
 
[[it:Musica da camera]]
 
[[he:מוזיקה קאמרית]]
 
[[nl:Kamermuziek]]
 
[[ja:重奏]]
 
[[no:Kammermusikk]]
 
[[nn:Kammermusikk]]
 
[[simple:Chamber music]]
 
[[sl:Komorna glasba]]
 
[[fi:Kamarimusiikki]]
 
[[sv:Kammarmusik]]
 
[[th:แชมเบอร์มิวสิค]]
 
[[zh:室内乐]]
 
'''Chamber music''' is a form of [[classical music]], written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any "art music" that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part. The word "chamber" signifies that the music can be performed in a small room, often with an intimate atmosphere. However, it usually does not include, by definition, solo instrument performances.                                             
 
 
== Ensembles ==
 
This is a partial list of the types of [[Musical ensemble|ensembles]] found in chamber music.
 
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
| '''Number of Musicians''' || '''Name''' || '''Common [[Musical ensemble|Ensembles]]''' || '''[[Musical instrument|Instrumentation]]''' || '''Comments'''
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=6| 2 ||rowspan=3| Duo || [[Piano Duo]] || 2 pno
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=2| [[Instrumental Duo]] || any instrument and pno|| Found especially as instrumental [[sonata]]s; i.e., [[Violin sonata|violin]], [[Cello sonata|cello]], [[Viola sonata|viola]], [[Horn sonata|horn]], [[Bassoon sonata|bassoon]], [[Clarinet sonata|clarinet]], [[Flute sonata|flute]] sonatas).
 
|-
 
    |any instrument and [[figured bass|basso continuo]] || Common in [[baroque music]] predating the piano.  The basso continuo part is always present to provide rhythm and accompaniment, and is often played by a [[harpsichord]] but other instruments can also be used.
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=3| [[Duet (music)|Duet]] || [[Piano Duet]] || 1 pno, 4 hands ||[[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]] (original pieces and a lot of transcriptions of his own works); a favorite domestic musical form, with lots of transcriptions of other genders (operas, symphonies, concertos and so on).
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Vocal Duet]] || voice, pno || Commonly used in the art [[song]], or [[Lieder]].
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Instrumental Duet]] || 2 of any instrument, either equal or not || Mozart's Duets KV 423 and 424 for vn and va and Sonata KV 292 for bsn and vc; Beethoven's Duet for va and vc; [[Bartok|Béla Bartók]]'s Duets for 2 vn.
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=11| 3 ||rowspan=11| [[trio (music)|Trio]] || [[String trio|String Trio]] || vln, vla, vc|| Mozart's [[Trio for Violin, Viola & Cello in E flat major, K. 563 (Mozart)|Divertimento KV 563]] is an important example; Beethoven composed a series of  5 Trios at the beginning of his career.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano Trio]] || vln, vc, pno || [[Franz Josef Haydn|Haydn]], [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]] and many others.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Voice, Viola and Piano]] || sop, vla, pno || [[William Bolcom]]'s trio Let Evening Come for Soprano, Viola and Piano, and [[Johannes Brahms]]' [[Zwei Gesänge für eine Altstimme mit Bratsche und Pianoforte]], Op. 91, for Alto, Viola and Piano
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet, Viola and Piano]] || cl, vla, pno || [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s trio [[Kegelstatt Trio|K498]], other works by [[Robert Schumann]] and [[Max Bruch]]
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet, Cello and Piano]] || cl, vc, pno || [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s trio Op. 11, as well as his own transcription, Op. 38, of the Septet, Op. 20; [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]'s trio Op. 114, [[Alexander von Zemlinsky]]'s Op.3.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Voice, Clarinet and Piano]] || voice, cl, pno || [[Franz Schubert]]'s [[Der Hirt auf dem Felsen]], D965, [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]'s Schon Lacht Der Holde Fruhling, KV 580; [[Louis Spohr|Spohr]]'s Lieder
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Flute, Viola and Harp]] || fl, vla, hrp || Famous works by [[Claude Debussy|Debussy]] and [[Arnold Bax]]
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet, Violin, Piano]] || cl, vln, pno || Largely a [[20th century]] invention, but growing in popularity; famous compositions by [[Béla Bartók]], [[Darius Milhaud|Milhaud]] and [[Aram Khachaturian|Khachaturian]]
 
 
|- 
 
    | [[Horn Trio]] || hrn, vl, pno || 19th century works; specifically the Trio in E♭ Op. 40 by Brahms
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Soprano, Horn and Piano]] || sop, hrn, pno || [[Franz Schubert]]'s Auf Dem Strom
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Reed Trio]] || ob, cl, bsn || 20th century composers
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=8| 4 ||rowspan=8| [[Quartet]] || [[String Quartet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc ||Very popular form. Numerous major examples by Haydn (its creator), Mozart, Beethoven and many other leading composers (see article).
 
 
|-
 
    |[[Piano Quartet]] || vln, vla, vc, pno || Mozart's KV 478 and 493; Beethoven youth compositions; Schumann, Brahms
 
 
|-
 
    | Violin, Clarinet, Cello and Piano || vln, cl, vc, pno || Rare; famous example: [[Olivier Messiaen|Messiaen]]'s [[Quatuor pour la fin du temps]]; less famous: [[Paul Hindemith|Hindemith]] (1938), [[Walter Rabl]] (Op. 1; 1896).
 
 
|-
 
    |[[Saxophone Quartet]] || s. sax, a. sax, t. sax, b. sax || Twentieth-century composers
 
 
|-
 
    |[[Flute quartet]] || 4 fls || Examples include those by [[Friedrich Kuhlau]], [[Anton Reicha]], [[Eugène Bozza]], [[Florent Schmitt]] and [[Joseph Jongen]]
 
 
|-
 
    | Wind Instrument and [[String Trio]] || vn, va, vc and fl, ob, cl, bsn|| By Mozart you can find four [[Flute quartet|Flute Quartets]] and one Oboe Quartet; Krommer wrote Flute Quartets (eg opus 75) Clarinet Quartets and Bassoon Quartets (eg his opus 46 set); Devienne wrote a Bassoon Quartet
 
 
|-
 
    | Piano and Wind Trio || pno, cl, hrn, bsn || [[Franz Berwald]]'s opus 1 (1819)
 
 
|-
 
 
    | Voice and [[Piano Trio]] || voice, pno, vn, vc|| By [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]] you can find lots of [[Lied|Lieder]] on several folk roots for such a setting.
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=8| 5 ||rowspan=8| [[Quintet]] ||rowspan=2| [[Piano Quintet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc, pno || [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], [[Béla Bartók]], [[Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich]] and others
 
 
|-
 
    | vln, vla, vc, cb, pno || An uncommon instrumentation used by [[Franz Schubert]] in his [[Trout Quintet]] as well as by [[Johann Nepomuk Hummel]] and [[Louise Farrenc]].
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Wind quintet|Woodwind Quintet]] || fl, cl, ob, bsn, hrn || 19th century ([[Antonin Reicha|Reicha]], [[Franz Danzi|Danzi]] and others) and 20th century composers
 
 
|-
 
    | [[String Quintet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc with additional vla or vc || with 2nd va: [[Michael Haydn]], [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], [[Anton Bruckner|Bruckner]]; with 2nd vc: [[Luigi Boccherini|Boccherini]], [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]]. Sometimes with additional db ([[Vagn Holmboe]]) instead.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Brass Quintet]] || 2 tr, 1 hrn, 1 trm, 1 tuba || Mostly after 1950.
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet Quintet]] || cl, 2 vn, 1 va, 1 vc || [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s KV 581, [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]'s Op. 115, Weber's Op. 34, [[Paul Hindemith|Hindemith]]'s (in which the clarinet player must alternate between a B♭ and a E♭ instrument) and many others.
 
|-
 
    | || cl, pno left hand, vn, va, vc|| [[Franz Schmidt|Schmidt]]'s chamber pieces dedicated to the pianist Paul Wittgenstein (who played with left hand only), although they are almost always performed nowadays in a two hands version arranged by Friedrich Wührer.
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano]] and [[Wind Quartet]] || pno, ob, cl, bsn, hrn|| [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s [[Quintet in E flat for Piano and Winds|KV 452]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s Op. 16, and many others, including two by [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]] and [[Anton Rubinstein]]. (The four Wind Instruments may vary)
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=5| 6 ||rowspan=5| [[Sextet]] || [[String sextet|String Sextet]] || 2 vln, 2 vla, 2 vc || Important among these are [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]' Op. 18 and Op. 36 Sextets, and [[Arnold Schoenberg|Schoenberg]]'s Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 (original version).
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Wind Sextet]] || 2 ob, 2 bsn, 2 hrn or 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn || By [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] there are the two types; [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]] used the one with cl
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano]] and [[Wind Quintet]] || fl, ob, cl, bsn, hrn, pno || Such as the [[Francis Poulenc|Poulenc]] Sextet, and another by [[Ludwig Thuille]].
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano sextet|Piano Sextet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc, cb, pno || e.g. Mendelssohn's Op. 110, also one by [[Leslie Bassett]]. ([http://dram.nyu.edu/dram/Objid/28894])
 
 
|-
 
    |  || cl, 2 vln, vla, vc, pno || An example is [[Sergei Prokofiev|Prokofiev]]'s Overture on Hebrew Themes Op. 34.
 
 
|-
 
    | 7 || [[Septet]] || Wind and String Septet || cl, hrn, bsn, vln, vla, vc, cb || Popularized by [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Septet (Beethoven)|Septet]] Op. 20, [[Franz Berwald|Berwald]]'s, and many others.
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=4| 8 ||rowspan=4| [[Octet (music)|Octet]] || Wind and String Octet || cl, hrn, bsn, 2 vln, vla, vc, cb || Popularized by [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]]'s [[Octet (Schubert)|Octet D. 803]], inspired by Beethoven's Septet.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[String Octet]] || 4 vln, 2 vla, 2 vc || Popularized by [[Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn]]'s [[Octet (Mendelssohn)|String Octet Op. 20]]. Others (among them works by [[Woldemar Bargiel]], [[George Enescu]], and a pair of pieces by [[Dmitri Shostakovich]]) have followed.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Double Quartet]] || 4 vln, 2 vla, 2 vc || Two [[string quartet]]s arranged [[antiphon]]ically.  A genre preferred by [[Louis Spohr]]. Darius Milhaud's Op. 291 Octet is, rather, a couple of String Quartets (his 14th and 15th) performed simultaneously
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Wind Octet]] || 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn || [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s  KV 375 and 388, [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s Op. 108, many written by [[Franz Krommer]].
 
 
|-
 
    | 9 || [[Nonet (music)|Nonet]] || Wind and String Nonet || fl, ob, cl, hrn, bsn, vn, va, vc, db||  Including one written by [[Louis Spohr|Spohr]], and two by [[Bohuslav Martinů]].
 
 
|-
 
    | 10 || [[Decet (music)|Decet]] || Double Wind Quintet ||2 ob, 2 English hrn, 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn ([[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s set) or 2 fl, ob, Eng hrn, 2 cl, 2 hrn and 2 bsn ([[George Enescu|Enescu]]'s set) || After Mozart's Divertimenti KV 166 and 186 it's hard to find another example of 10 instruments. By convention, after nine players works cease to be considered chamber works generally speaking, but the decet/dixtuor in D, opus 14 by George Enescu for 2 flutes, oboe, English horn, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons, written in 1906 will be included here. <!-- for now, because the composer seems to have wished it so —>
 
 
|-
 
    |colspan=5 border="0"| Key: vln - [[violin]]; vla - [[viola]]; vc - [[cello]]; cb - [[double bass]]; pno - [[piano]]; fl - [[flute]]; ob - [[oboe]]; Eng hrn - [[English horn]]; cl - [[clarinet]]; s. sax - [[soprano saxophone]]; a. sax - [[alto saxophone]]; t. sax - [[tenor saxophone]]; b. sax - [[baritone saxophone]]; bsn - [[bassoon]]; hrn - [[Horn (instrument)|horn]]; tr - [[trumpet]]; trm - [[trombone]]
 
|}
 
The standard repertoire for chamber ensembles is rich, and the totality of chamber music in print in [[sheet music]] form is nearly boundless. See the articles on each instrument combination for examples of repertoire.
 
 
== References ==
 
* ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians]]'' (ed. [[Stanley Sadie]], 1980)
 
 
===External links===
 
*The [http://www.chamberfest.com/english/index.html Ottawa International Chamber Music Society](Chamberfest) one of the world's leading international chamber music festivals.
 
*[http://www.chamber-music.org/ Chamber Music America].
 
*[http://www.chambermusic.org Friends of Chamber Music].
 
*The [http://www.acmp.net Amateur Chamber Music Players] publishes a contact list of musicians worldwide who play chamber music for their own enjoyment.  They also publish lists of repertoire.
 
*http://www.composerplanet.com/cgi-bin/wiki.cgi?ChamberMusic
 
*[http://artofthestates.org/cgi-bin/instsearch.pl?inst=CHAMBER%2FSMALL Art of the States: Chamber/small] chamber music (3-8 instruments) by American composers
 
*[http://artofthestates.org/cgi-bin/instsearch.pl?inst=CHAMBER%2FLARGE Art of the States: Chamber/large] chamber music (9+ instruments) by American composers
 
 
[[Category:Chamber music]]
 
[[Category:Musical groups]]
 
[[Category:Ottawa Chamber Music Festival]]
 
 
[[ar:موسيقى الحجرة]]
 
[[ca:Música de cambra]]
 
[[da:Kammermusik]]
 
[[de:Kammermusik]]
 
[[et:Kammermuusika]]
 
[[es:Música de cámara]]
 
[[fr:Musique de chambre]]
 
[[it:Musica da camera]]
 
[[he:מוזיקה קאמרית]]
 
[[nl:Kamermuziek]]
 
[[ja:重奏]]
 
[[no:Kammermusikk]]
 
[[nn:Kammermusikk]]
 
[[simple:Chamber music]]
 
[[sl:Komorna glasba]]
 
[[fi:Kamarimusiikki]]
 
[[sv:Kammarmusik]]
 
[[th:แชมเบอร์มิวสิค]]
 
[[zh:室内乐]]
 
'''Chamber music''' is a form of [[classical music]], written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any "art music" that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part. The word "chamber" signifies that the music can be performed in a small room, often with an intimate atmosphere. However, it usually does not include, by definition, solo instrument performances.                                             
 
 
== Ensembles ==
 
This is a partial list of the types of [[Musical ensemble|ensembles]] found in chamber music.
 
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
| '''Number of Musicians''' || '''Name''' || '''Common [[Musical ensemble|Ensembles]]''' || '''[[Musical instrument|Instrumentation]]''' || '''Comments'''
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=6| 2 ||rowspan=3| Duo || [[Piano Duo]] || 2 pno
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=2| [[Instrumental Duo]] || any instrument and pno|| Found especially as instrumental [[sonata]]s; i.e., [[Violin sonata|violin]], [[Cello sonata|cello]], [[Viola sonata|viola]], [[Horn sonata|horn]], [[Bassoon sonata|bassoon]], [[Clarinet sonata|clarinet]], [[Flute sonata|flute]] sonatas).
 
|-
 
    |any instrument and [[figured bass|basso continuo]] || Common in [[baroque music]] predating the piano.  The basso continuo part is always present to provide rhythm and accompaniment, and is often played by a [[harpsichord]] but other instruments can also be used.
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=3| [[Duet (music)|Duet]] || [[Piano Duet]] || 1 pno, 4 hands ||[[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]] (original pieces and a lot of transcriptions of his own works); a favorite domestic musical form, with lots of transcriptions of other genders (operas, symphonies, concertos and so on).
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Vocal Duet]] || voice, pno || Commonly used in the art [[song]], or [[Lieder]].
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Instrumental Duet]] || 2 of any instrument, either equal or not || Mozart's Duets KV 423 and 424 for vn and va and Sonata KV 292 for bsn and vc; Beethoven's Duet for va and vc; [[Bartok|Béla Bartók]]'s Duets for 2 vn.
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=11| 3 ||rowspan=11| [[trio (music)|Trio]] || [[String trio|String Trio]] || vln, vla, vc|| Mozart's [[Trio for Violin, Viola & Cello in E flat major, K. 563 (Mozart)|Divertimento KV 563]] is an important example; Beethoven composed a series of  5 Trios at the beginning of his career.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano Trio]] || vln, vc, pno || [[Franz Josef Haydn|Haydn]], [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]] and many others.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Voice, Viola and Piano]] || sop, vla, pno || [[William Bolcom]]'s trio Let Evening Come for Soprano, Viola and Piano, and [[Johannes Brahms]]' [[Zwei Gesänge für eine Altstimme mit Bratsche und Pianoforte]], Op. 91, for Alto, Viola and Piano
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet, Viola and Piano]] || cl, vla, pno || [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s trio [[Kegelstatt Trio|K498]], other works by [[Robert Schumann]] and [[Max Bruch]]
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet, Cello and Piano]] || cl, vc, pno || [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s trio Op. 11, as well as his own transcription, Op. 38, of the Septet, Op. 20; [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]'s trio Op. 114, [[Alexander von Zemlinsky]]'s Op.3.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Voice, Clarinet and Piano]] || voice, cl, pno || [[Franz Schubert]]'s [[Der Hirt auf dem Felsen]], D965, [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]'s Schon Lacht Der Holde Fruhling, KV 580; [[Louis Spohr|Spohr]]'s Lieder
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Flute, Viola and Harp]] || fl, vla, hrp || Famous works by [[Claude Debussy|Debussy]] and [[Arnold Bax]]
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet, Violin, Piano]] || cl, vln, pno || Largely a [[20th century]] invention, but growing in popularity; famous compositions by [[Béla Bartók]], [[Darius Milhaud|Milhaud]] and [[Aram Khachaturian|Khachaturian]]
 
 
|- 
 
    | [[Horn Trio]] || hrn, vl, pno || 19th century works; specifically the Trio in E♭ Op. 40 by Brahms
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Soprano, Horn and Piano]] || sop, hrn, pno || [[Franz Schubert]]'s Auf Dem Strom
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Reed Trio]] || ob, cl, bsn || 20th century composers
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=8| 4 ||rowspan=8| [[Quartet]] || [[String Quartet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc ||Very popular form. Numerous major examples by Haydn (its creator), Mozart, Beethoven and many other leading composers (see article).
 
 
|-
 
    |[[Piano Quartet]] || vln, vla, vc, pno || Mozart's KV 478 and 493; Beethoven youth compositions; Schumann, Brahms
 
 
|-
 
    | Violin, Clarinet, Cello and Piano || vln, cl, vc, pno || Rare; famous example: [[Olivier Messiaen|Messiaen]]'s [[Quatuor pour la fin du temps]]; less famous: [[Paul Hindemith|Hindemith]] (1938), [[Walter Rabl]] (Op. 1; 1896).
 
 
|-
 
    |[[Saxophone Quartet]] || s. sax, a. sax, t. sax, b. sax || Twentieth-century composers
 
 
|-
 
    |[[Flute quartet]] || 4 fls || Examples include those by [[Friedrich Kuhlau]], [[Anton Reicha]], [[Eugène Bozza]], [[Florent Schmitt]] and [[Joseph Jongen]]
 
 
|-
 
    | Wind Instrument and [[String Trio]] || vn, va, vc and fl, ob, cl, bsn|| By Mozart you can find four [[Flute quartet|Flute Quartets]] and one Oboe Quartet; Krommer wrote Flute Quartets (eg opus 75) Clarinet Quartets and Bassoon Quartets (eg his opus 46 set); Devienne wrote a Bassoon Quartet
 
 
|-
 
    | Piano and Wind Trio || pno, cl, hrn, bsn || [[Franz Berwald]]'s opus 1 (1819)
 
 
|-
 
 
    | Voice and [[Piano Trio]] || voice, pno, vn, vc|| By [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]] you can find lots of [[Lied|Lieder]] on several folk roots for such a setting.
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=8| 5 ||rowspan=8| [[Quintet]] ||rowspan=2| [[Piano Quintet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc, pno || [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], [[Béla Bartók]], [[Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich]] and others
 
 
|-
 
    | vln, vla, vc, cb, pno || An uncommon instrumentation used by [[Franz Schubert]] in his [[Trout Quintet]] as well as by [[Johann Nepomuk Hummel]] and [[Louise Farrenc]].
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Wind quintet|Woodwind Quintet]] || fl, cl, ob, bsn, hrn || 19th century ([[Antonin Reicha|Reicha]], [[Franz Danzi|Danzi]] and others) and 20th century composers
 
 
|-
 
    | [[String Quintet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc with additional vla or vc || with 2nd va: [[Michael Haydn]], [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], [[Anton Bruckner|Bruckner]]; with 2nd vc: [[Luigi Boccherini|Boccherini]], [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]]. Sometimes with additional db ([[Vagn Holmboe]]) instead.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Brass Quintet]] || 2 tr, 1 hrn, 1 trm, 1 tuba || Mostly after 1950.
 
|-
 
    | [[Clarinet Quintet]] || cl, 2 vn, 1 va, 1 vc || [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s KV 581, [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]'s Op. 115, Weber's Op. 34, [[Paul Hindemith|Hindemith]]'s (in which the clarinet player must alternate between a B♭ and a E♭ instrument) and many others.
 
|-
 
    | || cl, pno left hand, vn, va, vc|| [[Franz Schmidt|Schmidt]]'s chamber pieces dedicated to the pianist Paul Wittgenstein (who played with left hand only), although they are almost always performed nowadays in a two hands version arranged by Friedrich Wührer.
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano]] and [[Wind Quartet]] || pno, ob, cl, bsn, hrn|| [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s [[Quintet in E flat for Piano and Winds|KV 452]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s Op. 16, and many others, including two by [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]] and [[Anton Rubinstein]]. (The four Wind Instruments may vary)
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=5| 6 ||rowspan=5| [[Sextet]] || [[String sextet|String Sextet]] || 2 vln, 2 vla, 2 vc || Important among these are [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]' Op. 18 and Op. 36 Sextets, and [[Arnold Schoenberg|Schoenberg]]'s Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 (original version).
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Wind Sextet]] || 2 ob, 2 bsn, 2 hrn or 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn || By [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] there are the two types; [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]] used the one with cl
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano]] and [[Wind Quintet]] || fl, ob, cl, bsn, hrn, pno || Such as the [[Francis Poulenc|Poulenc]] Sextet, and another by [[Ludwig Thuille]].
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Piano sextet|Piano Sextet]] || 2 vln, vla, vc, cb, pno || e.g. Mendelssohn's Op. 110, also one by [[Leslie Bassett]]. ([http://dram.nyu.edu/dram/Objid/28894])
 
 
|-
 
    |  || cl, 2 vln, vla, vc, pno || An example is [[Sergei Prokofiev|Prokofiev]]'s Overture on Hebrew Themes Op. 34.
 
 
|-
 
    | 7 || [[Septet]] || Wind and String Septet || cl, hrn, bsn, vln, vla, vc, cb || Popularized by [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Septet (Beethoven)|Septet]] Op. 20, [[Franz Berwald|Berwald]]'s, and many others.
 
 
|-
 
    |rowspan=4| 8 ||rowspan=4| [[Octet (music)|Octet]] || Wind and String Octet || cl, hrn, bsn, 2 vln, vla, vc, cb || Popularized by [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]]'s [[Octet (Schubert)|Octet D. 803]], inspired by Beethoven's Septet.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[String Octet]] || 4 vln, 2 vla, 2 vc || Popularized by [[Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn]]'s [[Octet (Mendelssohn)|String Octet Op. 20]]. Others (among them works by [[Woldemar Bargiel]], [[George Enescu]], and a pair of pieces by [[Dmitri Shostakovich]]) have followed.
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Double Quartet]] || 4 vln, 2 vla, 2 vc || Two [[string quartet]]s arranged [[antiphon]]ically.  A genre preferred by [[Louis Spohr]]. Darius Milhaud's Op. 291 Octet is, rather, a couple of String Quartets (his 14th and 15th) performed simultaneously
 
 
|-
 
    | [[Wind Octet]] || 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn || [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s  KV 375 and 388, [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s Op. 108, many written by [[Franz Krommer]].
 
 
|-
 
    | 9 || [[Nonet (music)|Nonet]] || Wind and String Nonet || fl, ob, cl, hrn, bsn, vn, va, vc, db||  Including one written by [[Louis Spohr|Spohr]], and two by [[Bohuslav Martinů]].
 
 
|-
 
    | 10 || [[Decet (music)|Decet]] || Double Wind Quintet ||2 ob, 2 English hrn, 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn ([[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s set) or 2 fl, ob, Eng hrn, 2 cl, 2 hrn and 2 bsn ([[George Enescu|Enescu]]'s set) || After Mozart's Divertimenti KV 166 and 186 it's hard to find another example of 10 instruments. By convention, after nine players works cease to be considered chamber works generally speaking, but the decet/dixtuor in D, opus 14 by George Enescu for 2 flutes, oboe, English horn, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons, written in 1906 will be included here. <!-- for now, because the composer seems to have wished it so —>
 
 
|-
 
    |colspan=5 border="0"| Key: vln - [[violin]]; vla - [[viola]]; vc - [[cello]]; cb - [[double bass]]; pno - [[piano]]; fl - [[flute]]; ob - [[oboe]]; Eng hrn - [[English horn]]; cl - [[clarinet]]; s. sax - [[soprano saxophone]]; a. sax - [[alto saxophone]]; t. sax - [[tenor saxophone]]; b. sax - [[baritone saxophone]]; bsn - [[bassoon]]; hrn - [[Horn (instrument)|horn]]; tr - [[trumpet]]; trm - [[trombone]]
 
|}
 
The standard repertoire for chamber ensembles is rich, and the totality of chamber music in print in [[sheet music]] form is nearly boundless. See the articles on each instrument combination for examples of repertoire.
 
 
== References ==
 
 
* Beethven, Ludwig van; Wier, Albert E., ''The chamber music of Beethoven'', NY: Longmans, Green, 1940. OCLC 1065166
 
* Hefling, Stephen E., ''Nineteenth century chamber music'', NY: Routledge, 2004. ISBN 0-203-49308-7
 
* Sadie, Stanley, ed., ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', 1980.
 
* Ulrich, Homer, ''Chamber music'', NY: Columbia University Press, 1966. OCLC 284863
 
 
===External links===
 
*The [http://www.chamberfest.com/english/index.html Ottawa International Chamber Music Society](Chamberfest) one of the world's leading international chamber music festivals.
 
*[http://www.chamber-music.org/ Chamber Music America].
 
*[http://www.chambermusic.org Friends of Chamber Music].
 
*The [http://www.acmp.net Amateur Chamber Music Players] publishes a contact list of musicians worldwide who play chamber music for their own enjoyment.  They also publish lists of repertoire.
 
*http://www.composerplanet.com/cgi-bin/wiki.cgi?ChamberMusic
 
*[http://artofthestates.org/cgi-bin/instsearch.pl?inst=CHAMBER%2FSMALL Art of the States: Chamber/small] chamber music (3-8 instruments) by American composers
 
*[http://artofthestates.org/cgi-bin/instsearch.pl?inst=CHAMBER%2FLARGE Art of the States: Chamber/large] chamber music (9+ instruments) by American composers
 
  
 
[[Category:Music]]
 
[[Category:Music]]
 
[[Category:Art, music, literature, sports and leisure]]
 
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Revision as of 02:06, 13 January 2023


Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any "art music" that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part.

The word "chamber" signifies that the music can be performed in a small room, often with an intimate atmosphere. However, it usually does not include, by definition, solo instrument performances.

Classical chamber music

Classical chamber music, or music written during the period of 1750-1820, was very airy and light in sound as compared to orchestral music and it was performed in more intimate settings or chambers. The form of early chamber music appeared to have begun from the writings of Joseph Haydn and consisted of four movements: fast, slow, a scherzo or minuet, and fast. The types of ensembles for this music was the string quartet, consisting of two violins, a viola, and a cello; a string quintet, consisting of two violins, two violas, and a cello; a piano trio, consisting of a piano, violin and cello; and a sonata for violin and piano.

The chamber music of Joseph Haydn

It is reputed that Joseph Haydn invented the form of the string quartet with its four movements and scholars place the 68 string quartets of Haydn as among his best works. In the summer of 1757, before Haydn composed for a string quartet, there was a difficulty finding musicians to perform, yet there were two violinists, a violist and cellist, available to perform since many amateurs played these instruments. Haydn thus began to compose for the instruments he had on hand which started his great interest in the transparency of the chamber music sound.

Twentieth century chamber music

Contemporary chamber ensembles are sought after instrumental mediums for the transparency of twentieth century tones with their unique consonance and dissonance chords. With an emphasis on a non-blended sound, the twentieth century technique of using different timbres with different lines of melody is brought out very well within a chamber ensemble.

Ensembles

This is a partial list of the types of ensembles found in chamber music.

Number of Musicians Name Common Ensembles Instrumentation Comments
2 Duo Piano Duo 2 pno
Instrumental Duo any instrument and pno Found especially as instrumental sonatas; i.e., violin, cello, viola, horn, bassoon, clarinet, flute sonatas).
any instrument and basso continuo Common in baroque music predating the piano. The basso continuo part is always present to provide rhythm and accompaniment, and is often played by a harpsichord but other instruments can also be used.
Duet Piano Duet 1 pno, 4 hands Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms (original pieces and a lot of transcriptions of his own works); a favorite domestic musical form, with lots of transcriptions of other genders (operas, symphonies, concertos and so on).
Vocal Duet voice, pno Commonly used in the art song, or Lieder.
Instrumental Duet 2 of any instrument, either equal or not Mozart's Duets KV 423 and 424 for vn and va and Sonata KV 292 for bsn and vc; Beethoven's Duet for va and vc; Béla Bartók's Duets for 2 vn.
3 Trio String Trio vln, vla, vc Mozart's Divertimento KV 563 is an important example; Beethoven composed a series of 5 Trios at the beginning of his career.
Piano Trio vln, vc, pno Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms and many others.
Voice, Viola and Piano sop, vla, pno William Bolcom's trio Let Evening Come for Soprano, Viola and Piano, and Johannes Brahms' Zwei Gesänge für eine Altstimme mit Bratsche und Pianoforte, Op. 91, for Alto, Viola and Piano
Clarinet, Viola and Piano cl, vla, pno Mozart's trio K498, other works by Robert Schumann and Max Bruch
Clarinet, Cello and Piano cl, vc, pno Beethoven's trio Op. 11, as well as his own transcription, Op. 38, of the Septet, Op. 20; Brahms's trio Op. 114, Alexander von Zemlinsky's Op.3.
Voice, Clarinet and Piano voice, cl, pno Franz Schubert's Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, D965, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Schon Lacht Der Holde Fruhling, KV 580; Spohr's Lieder
Flute, Viola and Harp fl, vla, hrp Famous works by Debussy and Arnold Bax
Clarinet, Violin, Piano cl, vln, pno Largely a 20th century invention, but growing in popularity; famous compositions by Béla Bartók, Milhaud, and Khachaturian
Horn Trio hrn, vl, pno Nineteenth century works; specifically the Trio in E♭ Op. 40 by Brahms
Soprano, Horn and Piano sop, hrn, pno Franz Schubert's Auf Dem Strom
Reed Trio ob, cl, bsn 20th century composers
4 Quartet String Quartet 2 vln, vla, vc Very popular form. Numerous major examples by Haydn (its creator), Mozart, Beethoven and many other leading composers (see article).
Piano Quartet vln, vla, vc, pno Mozart's KV 478 and 493; Beethoven youth compositions; Schumann, Brahms
Violin, Clarinet, Cello and Piano vln, cl, vc, pno Rare; famous example: Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps; less famous: Hindemith (1938), Walter Rabl (Op. 1; 1896).
Saxophone Quartet s. sax, a. sax, t. sax, b. sax Twentieth century composers
Flute quartet 4 fls Examples include those by Friedrich Kuhlau, Anton Reicha, Eugène Bozza, Florent Schmitt, and Joseph Jongen
Wind Instrument and String Trio vn, va, vc and fl, ob, cl, bsn By Mozart you can find four Flute Quartets and one Oboe Quartet; Krommer wrote Flute Quartets (eg opus 75) Clarinet Quartets and Bassoon Quartets (such as his opus 46 set); Devienne wrote a Bassoon Quartet
Piano and Wind Trio pno, cl, hrn, bsn Franz Berwald's opus 1 (1819)
Voice and Piano Trio voice, pno, vn, vc By Beethoven you can find lots of Lieder on several folk roots for such a setting.
5 Quintet Piano Quintet 2 vln, vla, vc, pno Schumann, Brahms, Béla Bartók, Shostakovich, and others
vln, vla, vc, cb, pno An uncommon instrumentation used by Franz Schubert in his Trout Quintet as well as by Johann Nepomuk Hummel and Louise Farrenc.
Woodwind Quintet fl, cl, ob, bsn, hrn 19th century (Reicha, Danzi and others) and 20th century composers
String Quintet 2 vln, vla, vc with additional vla or vc with 2nd va: Michael Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner; with 2nd vc: Boccherini, Schubert. Sometimes with additional db (Vagn Holmboe) instead.
Brass Quintet 2 tr, 1 hrn, 1 trm, 1 tuba Mostly after 1950.
Clarinet Quintet cl, 2 vn, 1 va, 1 vc Mozart's KV 581, Brahms's Op. 115, Weber's Op. 34, Hindemith's (in which the clarinet player must alternate between a B♭ and a E♭ instrument) and many others.
cl, pno left hand, vn, va, vc Schmidt's chamber pieces dedicated to the pianist Paul Wittgenstein (who played with left hand only), although they are almost always performed nowadays in a two hands version arranged by Friedrich Wührer.
Piano and Wind Quartet pno, ob, cl, bsn, hrn Mozart's KV 452, Beethoven's Op. 16, and many others, including two by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Anton Rubinstein. (The four wind instruments may vary.)
6 Sextet String Sextet 2 vln, 2 vla, 2 vc Important among these are Brahms' Op. 18 and Op. 36 Sextets, and Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 (original version).
Wind Sextet 2 ob, 2 bsn, 2 hrn or 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn By Mozart there are the two types; Beethoven used the one with cl
Piano and Wind Quintet fl, ob, cl, bsn, hrn, pno Such as the Poulenc Sextet, and another by Ludwig Thuille.
Piano Sextet 2 vln, vla, vc, cb, pno e.g. Mendelssohn's Op. 110, also one by Leslie Bassett.
cl, 2 vln, vla, vc, pno An example is Prokofiev's Overture on Hebrew Themes Op. 34.
7 Septet Wind and String Septet cl, hrn, bsn, vln, vla, vc, cb Popularized by Beethoven's Septet Op. 20, Berwald's, and many others.
8 Octet Wind and String Octet cl, hrn, bsn, 2 vln, vla, vc, cb Popularized by Schubert's Octet D. 803, inspired by Beethoven's Septet.
String Octet 4 vln, 2 vla, 2 vc Popularized by Mendelssohn's String Octet Op. 20. Others (among them works by Woldemar Bargiel, George Enescu, and a pair of pieces by Dmitri Shostakovich) have followed.
Double Quartet 4 vln, 2 vla, 2 vc Two string quartets arranged antiphonically. A genre preferred by Louis Spohr. Darius Milhaud's Op. 291 Octet is, rather, a couple of String Quartets (his 14th and 15th) performed simultaneously
Wind Octet 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn Mozart's KV 375 and 388, Beethoven's Op. 108, many written by Franz Krommer.
9 Nonet Wind and String Nonet fl, ob, cl, hrn, bsn, vn, va, vc, db Including one written by Spohr, and two by Bohuslav Martinů.
10 Decet Double Wind Quintet 2 ob, 2 English hrn, 2 cl, 2 hrn, 2 bsn (Mozart's set) or 2 fl, ob, Eng hrn, 2 cl, 2 hrn and 2 bsn (Enescu's set) After Mozart's Divertimenti KV 166 and 186 it's hard to find another example of 10 instruments. By convention, after nine players works cease to be considered chamber works, generally speaking, but the decet/dixtuor in D, opus 14 by George Enescu for 2 flutes, oboe, English horn, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons, written in 1906, will be included here.
Key: vln—violin; vla—viola; vc—cello; cb—double bass; pno—piano; fl—flute; ob—oboe; Eng hrn—English horn; cl—clarinet; s. sax—soprano saxophone; a. sax—alto saxophone; t. sax—tenor saxophone; b. sax—baritone saxophone; bsn—bassoon; hrn—horn; tr—trumpet; trm—trombone

The standard repertoire for chamber ensembles is rich, and the totality of chamber music in print in sheet music form is nearly boundless. See the articles on each instrument combination for examples of repertoire.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Beethven, Ludwig van and Albert E. Wier. The Chamber Music of Beethoven. New York: Longmans, Green, 1940.
  • Hefling, Stephen E. Nineteenth Century Chamber Music. New York: Routledge, 2004. ISBN 0-203-49308-7
  • Sadie, Stanley, ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. London: Macmillan Publisher Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1-561-59174-2
  • Ulrich, Homerm Chamber Music. New York: Columbia University Press, 1966.

External links

All links retrieved January 25, 2017.

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