Sextets, septets, octets, nonets.
May 9, 2018 1:12 AM Subscribe
Stepping beyond the more familiar three-, four- and five-piece line-ups, there is a wealth of classical music out there composed for slightly bigger bands. And, while little of it has crossed over into popular culture (the opening movement of Felix Mendelssohn’s 1825 Octet is probably as well-known as any), there is nevertheless plenty to enjoy, a small selection of which can be found via the links within...
- Luigi Boccherini - String Sextet in E flat major: G 454; Op. 23 No. 1 (1776).
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Serenade for Winds in C minor (two oboes, two clarinets, two horns & two bassoons): K. 388 (1782).
- Domenico Cimarosa - Sextet in F major for fortepiano, harp, violin, viola da gamba, cello & bassoon (1791).
- Ludwig van Beethoven - Septet in E-flat major for clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello, & double bass: Op. 20 (1800).
- Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia - Octet in F major for clarinet, two horns, two violins, two cellos & piano (ca. 1806).
- Louis Spohr - Nonet in F major: Op. 31 (1813).
- Ferdinand Ries - Sextet in G minor for harp, piano, clarinet, horn, bassoon & double bass: Op. 142 (1814).
- Franz Schubert - Octet in F major for two violins, viola, cello, double bass, clarinet, horn & bassoon: D. 803; Op. posth. (1824).
- Felix Mendelssohn - String Octet in E-flat major: Op. 20 (1825).
- Mikhail Glinka - Grand Sextet in E-flat major for piano, two violins, viola, cello & double bass (1832).
- Ignaz Moscheles - Grand Septet in D major for clarinet, horn, violin, viola, cello, double bass & piano: Op. 88 (1833).
- Alexander Ernst Fesca - Septet No. 1 in C minor for piano, oboe, horn, two violins, viola & cello: Op. 26 (1842).
- George Onslow - Grand Septet in B-flat major for flute, clarinet, oboe, horn, bassoon, double bass & piano: Op. 79 (1849).
- Louise Farrenc - Sextet in C minor for piano, flute, clarinet, oboe, horn & bassoon: Op. 40 (1852)
- Johannes Brahms - String Sextet in B flat major: Op.18 (1860)
- Alexander Borodin - String Sextet in D minor (1861)
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - String Sextet in A major (1876)
- Antonín Dvořák - String Sextet in A major: Op. 48 (1878)
- Camille Saint-Saëns - Septet In E-flat major for trumpet, piano, two violins, viola, cello & double bass: Op. 65 (1881).
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Souvenir de Florence for string sextet: Op. 70 (1890).
- Samuel Coleridge-Taylor - Nonet in F minor for piano, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello, & double bass: Op.2 (1894).
- Arnold Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht (‘Transfigured Night’) for string sextet: Op. 4 (1899).
- George Enescu, String Octet in C major: Op. 7 (1900).
- Maurice Ravel - Introduction & Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet, two violins, viola & cello (1905).
- Rudi Stephan - Music for Seven String Instruments i.e. two violins, viola, cello, bass, harp & piano; (1911).
- Igor Stravinsky - Octet for flute, clarinet, two bassoons, two trumpets, and two trombones (1923).
- Ernő Dohnányi - Sextet for violin, viola, cello, clarinet, horn & piano: Op. 37 (1935).
- Francis Poulenc - Sextet for piano, flute, clarinet, oboe, horn & bassoon (1939).
- Paul Hindemith - Septet for flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, horn, & trumpet (1948).
- Galina Ustvolskaya - Octet for two oboes, four violins, timpani & piano (1950).
- Bohuslav Martinů - Nonet No. 2: H. 374 (1959).
- Alois Hába - Nonet No. 4: Op. 97 (1962).
- Steve Reich - Six Pianos (1973).
- Alfred Schnittke - Septet for flute, two clarinets, violin, viola, cello & harpsichord (1982).
- Andrzej & Roxanna Panufnik - Modlitwa (‘Prayer’) for string sextet (1999).
- Krzysztof Penderecki - Sextet for violin, viola, cello, clarinet, horn, and piano (2000).
- Sofia Gubaidulina - On the Edge of Abyss for seven cellos and two waterphones (2002).
- Julia Wolfe - Stronghold for eight double basses (2008).
- Nina C. Young - Rising Tide for flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, violin, viola & cello (2015).
- Georg Friedrich Haas - Octet for eight trombones (2015).
ALeaflikeStructure : my not-that-well-educated guess is that there's probably a greater quantity and variety of solo piano music by women than anything else, with accompanied songs, and other duos & trios being the next-best bets.
posted by misteraitch at 6:09 AM on May 9, 2018
posted by misteraitch at 6:09 AM on May 9, 2018
This is awesome, thanks for putting this together!
ALeaflikeStructure: our local college radio station hosts a weekly show called "Music of our Mothers" that features exclusively the work of female composers. You might want to email the host, Ellen Grolman. If anybody could answer your question, she could!
posted by saladin at 6:15 AM on May 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
ALeaflikeStructure: our local college radio station hosts a weekly show called "Music of our Mothers" that features exclusively the work of female composers. You might want to email the host, Ellen Grolman. If anybody could answer your question, she could!
posted by saladin at 6:15 AM on May 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Ooh, nice! I've enjoyed the other FPPs in this series as well, so I certainly need to give this a thorough listen.
posted by Harald74 at 7:16 AM on May 9, 2018
posted by Harald74 at 7:16 AM on May 9, 2018
Thanks, misteraitch and saladin. My first thought was also solo piano music; my second thought was that Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn do not a trend make. But my third thought is that they are only the ones I know of; there must be more. So I will be following up with Ellen Grolman.
posted by ALeaflikeStructure at 8:49 AM on May 9, 2018
posted by ALeaflikeStructure at 8:49 AM on May 9, 2018
This is wonderful! The Brahms sextet and the Poulenc wind one are long-time favorites, but there's a lot I don't know and am looking forward to listening to.
(It took me quite a long time to figure out why my browser at work refused to display this post...)
posted by huimangm at 8:51 AM on May 9, 2018
(It took me quite a long time to figure out why my browser at work refused to display this post...)
posted by huimangm at 8:51 AM on May 9, 2018
aleaflikestructure -- if you want something other than piano/chamber compositions, Amy Beach's orchestral music? Lili Boulanger's choral works? I don't know many obscure composers so I can only offer the really famous names, but those are two of them.
posted by queenofbithynia at 9:19 AM on May 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by queenofbithynia at 9:19 AM on May 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Thanks, queenofbithynia. Any mention of Amy Beach makes me happy, because I remember the moment when, after years of hearing the music of "Mrs. H.A.L. Beach" on Minnesota Public Radio, a piece by Amy Beach was played. It took me a moment to put the two names together, but then I experienced a wonderful sense of joy that she finally had her own name back.
posted by ALeaflikeStructure at 10:46 AM on May 9, 2018
posted by ALeaflikeStructure at 10:46 AM on May 9, 2018
Beethoven's 'Septet' is alright, but in your rush to the splurgy groupings, DON'T overlook (and it's easy to do) the amazing Trio in C Op.87 for Two oboes and English horn.
posted by Twang at 6:16 PM on May 9, 2018
posted by Twang at 6:16 PM on May 9, 2018
I also really like Brahms's string sextet! It was among my AP music theory class's practice test recordings. That was the best class to test prep for.
I just found out about this, but Music Theory Examples by Women is a trove of women composers beyond Clara and Fanny, as well as having fun, well-typeset examples of whatever theoretical phenomenon you want to visit today.
posted by batter_my_heart at 9:40 PM on May 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
I just found out about this, but Music Theory Examples by Women is a trove of women composers beyond Clara and Fanny, as well as having fun, well-typeset examples of whatever theoretical phenomenon you want to visit today.
posted by batter_my_heart at 9:40 PM on May 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
This is wonderful, thanks misteraitch. A few more: Gordon Jacob, suite for eight violas (1975)
Benjamin Dale, Introduction and Andante for six violas (1911)
Shostakovich, Two pieces for string octet (1925)
Richard Strauss, Metamorphosen (string septet version) (1944)
posted by altolinguistic at 4:52 AM on May 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
Benjamin Dale, Introduction and Andante for six violas (1911)
Shostakovich, Two pieces for string octet (1925)
Richard Strauss, Metamorphosen (string septet version) (1944)
posted by altolinguistic at 4:52 AM on May 10, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by ALeaflikeStructure at 5:57 AM on May 9, 2018