Chamber music

Definition

Originally these forms were performed in homes and mainly by amateur musicians – as you can imagine, space was limited, therefore this music was written for a small instrumental ensemble with one player to a part.

Popular chamber music groups include, the Piano Trio (Piano, Violin, Cello), String Quartet (Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello) or Octet – an ensemble with 8 players (often wind, strings or a combination of both). Over time, these forms have migrated into a concert hall setting.

Examples

A demonstration of the Piano Trio (Mozart) by the Clara Trio.

This example is an arrangement for String Quartet of 'Somebody that I used to Know' by Gotye.

This example is of a String and Wind ensemble.

Related concepts

• Piano trio (AH)
• String quartet (H)