Chamber Music Flashcards
In the Classical Period what is chamber music defined as?
Music for a small group of playes (usually three or more) with one player to a part
Where does the term come from?
Earlier music played in a room (or “chamber”) in a palace or castle, rather than in a concert hall, church or theatre
Who wrote chamber music?
All three
What does a string trio consist of?
Violin, Viola and cello
What does a string quartet consist of?
2x Violin, Viola , Cello
What does a string quintet consist of?
2x Violins, 2x Violas, Cello
What is a piano trio?
Piano, violin, cello
What is a clarinet quintet?
Clarinet and string quartet
What is the structure of chamber music? What is it similar to?
From this era is essentially a sonata for a small group of instruments, first movement is sonata form with 2 or 3 other movements
Who shaped the string quartet?
Was a new and important chamber music form in the Classical period and although probably not invented by Haydn, he was the person who shaped the genre; both Mozart and Beethoven studied his string quartets
In Vienna was the string quartet performed privately or publically?
Privately, giving composers more freedom to write as they choose
What did the string quartet allow for Mozart and Haydn?
Was the only genre they wrote for pleasure, to play at a “quartet party” with friends
Where could the impetus for Haydn to compose string quartets come from?
- The desire to compose music without the harpsichord (found in nearly all Baroque instrumental music), possibly so could be performed outside
- His visit to a country house, happened to be 3 other musicians who with him made a string quartet
What is often acknowledged to be the highest form of chamber music?
String quartets
What were Haydn’s early piano trios very much like?
Very much like accompanied sonatas, with a dominant piano and the other instruments accompanying or doubling; but his later works and Mozart’s trios began to give the strings a little more independence, a development continued by Beethoven
At Eisenstadt , why did Haydn write 126 trios for baryton, viola and cello?
Because Prince Nikolaus played the baryton. The stringed instrument is bowed and is similar to a viol, but there are extra strings which can either be plucked or left to vibrate sympathetically
Why was Mozart keen to write for the clarinet? What piece did he write?
He wrote his clarinet quintet K 581 for the clarinettist Anton Stadler, for whom he wrote his clarinet concerto and a trio for clarinet, viola and piano
Why are Mozarts 6 string quintets with an extra viola argued to be better than his quartets?
Allowing for more depth of tone and for varying combinations of groups of two and three instruments. To accommodate the extra Viola Mozart tended to write the 1st violin and cello parts further apart.
How many string quintets did Beethoven write?
A few, but many were arrangements of other works
Mozart also wrote… quartets and other compositions for various ensembles including wind instruments and sometimes piano
Flute
What other chamber combinations did Beethoven write for?
Various for wind ensemble, sometimes with piano, including a trio for clarinet, cello and piano
