Biswa Prasun's Blog: Music Education: Chamber Music

Chamber Music

Chamber music is music written for small combinations of instruments, expressing intimate and personal emotions. Originally it was meant to be performed inside a room with friends and not in the concert hall. From the room or chamber this music gets its name Chamber Music. Almost all the composers have written beautiful music in this form. But the best chamber music has come from Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms. Chamber music starts with the combination of two instruments, a "duo" as it is called and goes right up to nine instruments or "Nonet". More than nine instruments become music for small orchestra or chamber orchestra. For these small orchestras the composers have also written works and these are known as sinfonias, or sinfonettas, or concertinas, in other words small symphonies and concertos.

Given below are the different categories of chamber music.

The Duo : This can be in various combinations, two violins, violin and piano, piano and

oboe, piano and clarinet, piano and flute, piano and horn. The most common is the violin and piano combination and in this, the works of Mozart and Beethoven are the momentous.

The Trio Sonata: This is virtually a duo because the third instrument merely holds on to the note like the Indian Tanpura. Bach and Handel wrote a lot of Trio Sonatas. The form really existed in the Baroque Age (1600-1740).

The Trio: Very popular chamber music form. The most Popular combination is violin, piano and cello. There are other combinations, violin, viola and cello (known as string trio). Beethoven wrote some wonderful string trios. Then there is clarinet trio or clarinet, cello and violin in which combination Mozart wrote and so did Brahms. but the most famous trios are the piano trios of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms. Dvorak's "Dumky" trio is also a lovely work;

The Quartet: most important is the string quartet in which some of the greatest music of the composers have been written. This consists of two violins, viola and cello. The string quartets of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert arc the most important. The string quartet like the symphony can be called the backbone of western classical music. By dropping one instrument of the string quartet usually the second violin and adding either piano, horn or clarinet, the composers have obtained unique patterns of sound. The two piano quartets of Mozart, written for piano, violin, viola and cello, are very great works. Brahms wrote three piano quartets and so did Beethoven and Dvorak. Mozart also wrote flute quartets and oboe quartets and also a horn quartet where a fourth instrument outside the string family is added onto a string trio.

Quintet: The addition of a fifth instrument either a viola in case of Mozart and cello in case of Schubert creates the form of the string quintet. Mozart's string quintets are great works and so is the string quintet of Schubert. If the fifth instrument is a piano it is known as a piano quintet as in the case of Schubert's popular Trout Quintet. Schumann, Brahms and Dvorak wrote piano quintets. Mozart and Beethoven also wrote a quintet for a combination of a wind quartet, that is clarinet, oboe, bassoon and horn and the piano as the fifth instrument. The piano and wind quintets of Mozart and Beethoven are utterly ravishing works. Mozart, Brahms and Weber also wrote clarinet quintets, where the clarinet takes the place of the piano.

Sextet: The addition of two more instruments to the string quartet makes it a sextet. Brahms wrote two beautiful string sextets. He also wrote string quintets like Mozart. Mendelssohn and Dvorak also wrote string sextets.

Septet: A combination of seven instruments makes it a Septet. The most famous work in this category is the Septet by Beethoven. It is a product of Beethoven’s youth full of passion and feeling.

Octet: A combination of eight instruments, strings and winds makes it an Octet. Schubert wrote a famous Octet for winds and strings while Mendelssohn wrote an Octet only for strings Both are captivating works.

Nonet: Nine instruments is a rare combination and only some contemporaries of Beethoven like Spohr used it. Chamber music ends with the Nonet. After that it becomes orchestra.

Practical reasons made composers write for small groups for it was not always possible to get a large orchestra. Sinfonias and Sinfonettas could be also performed easily. One can mention Mozart's serenade for thirteen wind instruments, a masterwork that remains unsurpassed in charm and beauty. Most of Mozart's divertimentos and serenades, which contain some of his most vivacious music is written for a small orchestra of ten to fifteen players.

Chamber music is the key to feeling the pulse of the composers. The greater the composer the better his chamber music output.

List of Chamber Music

1. Haydn String Quartet ‘Lark’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNN_Kbuf7_U

2. Mozart Quintet for Piano and Winds in E flat K452

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC9Qp6wKWsg

3. Mozart Clarinet quintet K581 in A major

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTNbclgU3h4&t=380s

4. Mozart: Oboe Quartet KV 370

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwTmzmi4AkQ

5. Ludwig van Beethoven - String Quartet No. 14, Op. 131

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlFYC1U5viw