The easiest way to think of Chamber Music is to think of "Mini Orchestras". In the Classical era, composers worked for aristocrats and royals, and they were paid to write music to be performed in the homes of these employers. That meant that the ensembles had to be small enough to fit into the rooms in which they were performing. (a Chamber is a Room).
The whole idea of a chamber music group is usually 1 or 2 instruments per part.
Popular chamber music groupings include:
- Piano Trio (Piano, Violin, Viola/Cello)
- String Quartet (Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello)
- Octet – an ensemble with 8 players (often wind, strings or a combination of both).
Nowadays, these chamber groups are regularly performing in Concert Halls, or at functions such as weddings, corporate events, exhibitions, gallery openings etc. The fact that they fit into a small space is really handy when you're looking for a bit of live background music.
Quintets are also common - basically what you do with a Quintet is put a String Quartet together, and then stick another instrument onto it - if it's a piano, then it becomes a "Piano Quintet". If it was a clarinet, it'd be a "Clarinet Quintet". Straightforward, no?
String Quartets were once described as "a conversation between 4 intellectuals" - each part is as important as each other. Often the parts share out the melody line, and take turns to accompany.
Here are some examples of Classical chamber music - Listen for the individual instruments playing their part:
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