Chamber instrumental. Chamber music. Genres of instrumental music

24.12.2023

Chamber instrumental music message, summarized in this article, will tell you a lot of useful information about this art form.

"Chamber music" report

Chamber music is music performed by small groups of musicians. In this article we will try to understand in detail this unique and unique musical phenomenon.

A little history of chamber music

A couple of centuries ago, chamber music was any music that was not played in temples and churches.

The word camera is of Latin origin and is translated as “room, chamber.” Each part of the chamber composition is performed by one instrument. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. Chamber music sounds everywhere, in living rooms, salons, and small concert halls. There were even positions of chamber musicians at the imperial courts.

But it began to develop and gradually absorb the features of other genres. As a result, at the end of the twentieth century it ceased to be music for a select circle of listeners.” Those who played it began to be called a chamber ensemble. It consists of up to 10 people. In the process of development of chamber music, chamber ensembles emerged:

String quartet. They are best reflected in the work of the great composer Joseph Haydn. The soloists are viola, violin and cello.
Piano Quintet. This is a common musical phenomenon that dates back to the Romantic period and is still popular today. Piano and string quartet perform solo.
Piano trio. This genre comes from the trio sonata and is a classic variation of the piano trio. It became established in the 18th century and was reflected in the works of the Mannheim school. The solos are cello, violin and piano.
Solo instrument. Wind or string instrument and piano.
Piano duet. Solo: 2 pianos or one, but in 4 hands.
String Quartet. Solo: 2 violins, cello and viola.
Piano Quartet. The soloists are viola, violin, piano and cello.
String Quintet. The solo is performed by a string quartet, cello or viola.

Features of chamber music

There are many genres of chamber music. The most common of them are instrumental sonatas, romances, operas, nocturnes, preludes, and miniatures.

Chamber music is characterized by a tendency towards detailed rhythm, intonation and melody, equality of voices, and a wide variety of themes. Its main features are the transmission of emotions and feelings, lyricism and emotionality.

Chamber music performers

The main representative of this trend in music is the artist, the most Russian composer as he was called. He wrote works about his country Russia and its fate. Composers was a symbolist. Philosophical motifs, deep images and symbols dominated his work. Rachmaninov’s example was followed by P.I. Tchaikovsky, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, S. Prokofiev.

Another prominent representative of chamber music is, the main figure of Western classical music. His works are widely known all over the world. He was followed by composers such as Ferdinand Ries and Karl Czerny. It’s impossible not to mention the classics

WHAT IS CHAMBER MUSIC Chamber music (from Italian: camera room, chamber) music performed by a small group of musicians and or vocalists. When performing a chamber piece, each part is played by only one instrument (voice), unlike orchestral music, where there are groups of instruments playing in unison

GENRES OF CHAMBER MUSIC According to the accepted classification, the concept of “chamber music” includes duets, trios, quartets, quintets, septets, octets and nonets, with a wide variety of instruments. Chamber genres also include some genres for solo with accompaniment: for example, romances (chamber vocal genre) or instrumental sonatas (chamber instrumental genre).

PERFORMERS Main performers of chamber music: SERGEY VASILIEVICH RACHMANINOV – Messrs. LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN – Messrs. JOHANNES BRAHMS - Messrs. GEORGES BIZET – Messrs. JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH – Messrs.

STYLES Chamber music can be written in any style. Its main difference is that the works are designed for a small number of musicians. In fact, “chamber music” itself is already a style.

CHAMBER ORCHESTRA There is also the concept of a chamber orchestra, as a rule, this is a reduced (no more than one person) composition of a string orchestra, sometimes with the addition of several wind instruments

CHAMBER ENSEMBLE A group that performs chamber music is called a chamber ensemble. As a rule, a chamber ensemble includes from two to ten musicians, rarely more. Historically, the canonical instrumental compositions of some chamber ensembles have developed, for example, piano trio, string quartet, etc.

Probably every person is partial to music. It accompanies humanity inextricably; it is impossible to determine exactly when a person learned to perceive it. Most likely, this happened when our ancestor, trying to express his emotions, hit the hollow. Since then, man and music are inextricably linked; today there are many of its genres, styles and trends. This is folklore, spiritual and, finally, classical instrumental - symphonic and chamber music. Almost everyone knows what this movement is and how chamber music exists, but few know what its differences and features are. Let's try to figure this out later in the article.

The history of chamber music

The history of chamber music dates back to the Middle Ages. In the 16th century, music began to go beyond the confines of churches. Some authors began to write works that were performed outside church walls for a small circle of connoisseurs. It should be noted that at first these were only vocal parts, and chamber instrumental music appeared much later. But first things first.

The chamber music is mesmerizing. Everyone probably remembers that this name comes from the Italian word camera (“room”). Unlike church and theater music, chamber music was originally intended to be performed indoors by a small group for a narrow circle of listeners. As a rule, performances took place at home, and later in small concert halls. Chamber instrumental music reached the peak of its popularity in the 18th-19th centuries, when similar concerts were held in all the living rooms of wealthy houses. Later, aristocrats even introduced full-time positions for musicians.

Images of chamber music

Initially, chamber music was intended to be performed in front of a small circle of people who were its connoisseurs and experts. And the size of the room where the concert took place allowed performers and listeners to be in close contact with each other. All this created a unique atmosphere of belonging. Perhaps this is why such art is characterized by a high ability to reveal lyrical emotions and various nuances of human experiences.

The genres of chamber music could not be more precisely designed to be conveyed using laconic, but at the same time, detailed means. Unlike where parts are performed by groups of instruments, in such works a separate part is written for each instrument, and all of them are practically equal to each other.

Types of chamber instrumental ensemble

As history progressed, so did chamber music. That such a direction should have some peculiarities in relation to the performers does not require proof. Modern instrumental ensembles are:

duets (two performers);
trio (three members);
quartets (four);
quintets (five);
sextets (six);
septets (seven);
octets (eight);
nonet (nine);
decimetes (ten).

At the same time, the instrumental composition can be very diverse. It can include both strings, and one ensemble can include only strings or only winds. There may also be mixed chamber ensembles - the piano is especially often included in them. In general, their composition is limited by only one thing - the composer’s imagination, and it is most often limitless. In addition, there are also chamber orchestras - groups that include no more than 25 musicians.

Genres of instrumental chamber music

Modern genres of chamber music were formed under the influence of the works of such great composers as W. A. Mozart, L. Beethoven, I. Haydn. It was these masters who created works unsurpassed in terms of refinement of content and emotional depth. The most famous romantics of the 19th century paid tribute to sonatas, duets, trios, quartets and quintets: F. Mendelssohn, R. Schumann, F. Schubert, F. Chopin. In addition, the genre of instrumental miniatures (nocturnes, intermezzos) also gained enormous popularity at this time.

There are also chamber concerts, suites, fugues, and cantatas. Even in the 18th century, the genres of chamber music were extremely diverse. In addition, they absorbed stylistic features of other trends and styles. For example, L. Beethoven’s desire to push the boundaries of such a phenomenon as chamber music is so clearly visible that his work such as the “Kreutzer Sonata” is in no way inferior to symphonic works in its monumentalism and emotional intensity.

Genres of vocal chamber music

In the 19th century, vocal chamber music gained enormous popularity. Such people as R. Schumann, F. Schubert, and J. Brahms paid tribute to the emerging new genres of art song and romance. Russian composers have made an invaluable contribution to the world collection of chamber music works. The magnificent romances of M. I. Glinka, P. I. Tchaikovsky, M. P. Mussorgsky, M. A. Rimsky-Korsakov even today do not leave anyone indifferent. In addition to small works, there is also a genre of chamber opera. It involves a small number of performers and does not require a large room for production.

Chamber music today

Of course, today there are practically no such houses where, as in past centuries, chamber ensembles play surrounded by a limited circle of people. However, contrary to existing stereotypes, this direction remains in great demand. Organ and chamber music halls around the world attract millions of fans of both the works of classical composers and contemporary authors. Festivals are held regularly where famous and emerging artists share their art.

Chamber music is instrumental or vocal music for a small group of performers: solo works, various kinds of ensembles (duet, trio, etc.), romances and songs. Chamber music developed alongside orchestral music from the 16th century and gravitated more towards instrumental than vocal music.

In its original meaning, chamber music was intended to be performed in relatively small (mostly domestic) spaces - in contrast to music intended to be performed in a church, theater or large concert hall, which is why the number of performers is very limited, the instruments chosen are not particularly strong in sound, for example strings (quartets, quintets, sextets, octets), much less often woodwinds (Mozart’s quintet for clarinet and strings, Beethoven’s quintet for piano, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, his es-dur septet for piano, violin or viola, cello , double bass, clarinet, bassoon, horn).

The constant performance of chamber music in public concerts has changed the meaning of the term. Since the end of the 18th century, the expression “chamber music” has been applied to works written for performance by an ensemble, in which each part is intended for one performer (and not groups, as in choirs and orchestras) and all parts are more or less equal (unlike works for soloists). voice or instrument with accompaniment).

There are three periods in the history of chamber music:

The period from 1450 to 1650, which is characterized by the development of the technique of playing viols and instruments of other families, the gradual emergence of purely instrumental music with the continued predominance of the vocal style. Among the surviving works of this period, written specifically for instrumental compositions without voices, are the fantasies of Orlando Gibbons and the canzones and sonatas of Giovanni Gabrieli.

Symphonic music

Symphonic music is musical works intended to be performed by a symphony orchestra. Includes large monumental works and small plays. Main genres: symphony, suite, overture, symphonic poem. A symphony orchestra, a large group of musicians, includes three groups of instruments: wind, percussion, and bowed strings.

The classical (pair or double) composition of a small symphony orchestra was formed in the work of J. Haydn (paired brass, timpani and string quintet). A modern small symphony orchestra may have an irregular composition.

In a large symphony orchestra (from the beginning of the 19th century), the wind and percussion groups were expanded, harps and sometimes a piano were introduced; the group of bowed strings has been numerically increased. The name of the symphony orchestra is determined by the number of instruments in each wind family (pair, triple, etc.).

Symphony (from the Greek symphonia - consonance) is a piece of music for a symphony orchestra, written in sonata cyclic form, the highest form of instrumental music. Usually consists of 4 parts. The classical type of symphony developed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. (J. Haydn, W. A. Mozart, L. V. Beethoven). Among romantic composers, lyrical symphonies (F. Schubert, F. Mendelssohn) and program symphonies (G. Berlioz, F. Liszt) became of great importance.

An important contribution to the development of symphonies was made by Western European composers of the 19th and 20th centuries: J. Brahms, A. Bruckner, G. Mahler, S. Frank, A. Dvorak, J. Sibelius, etc. Symphonies occupy a significant place in Russian music: A. P. Borodin, P. I. Tchaikovsky, A. K. Glazunov, A. N. Skryabin, S. V. Rachmaninov, N. Ya. Myaskovsky, S. S. Prokofiev, D. D. Shostakovich, A. I. Khachaturyan et al.

Cyclic forms of instrumental music are musical forms consisting of several relatively independent parts, which together reveal a single artistic concept. The sonata cyclic form consists, as a rule, of four parts - the fast 1st in sonata form, the slow lyrical 2nd, the fast 3rd (scherzo or minuet) and the fast 4th (finale). This form is typical for a symphony, sometimes a sonata, or a chamber ensemble; an abbreviated cyclic form (without a scherzo or minuet) is typical for a concert or sonata. Another type of cyclic form is formed by a suite, sometimes variations (orchestral, piano), in which the number and nature of parts can be different. There are also vocal cycles (series of songs, romances, ensembles or choirs), united by a plot, words of one author, etc.

Suite (French suite, lit. - row, sequence), an instrumental cyclic musical work of several contrasting parts. The suite is distinguished from the sonata and symphony by the absence of strict regulation of the number, nature and order of parts, and by its close connection with song and dance. Suite 17-18 centuries. consisted of an allemande, chime, sarabande, gigue and other dances. In the 19th-20th centuries. orchestral non-dance suites were created (P.I. Tchaikovsky), sometimes program ones (“Scheherazade” by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov). There are suites composed of music from operas, ballets, as well as music for theatrical productions.

Overture (French ouverture, from Latin apertura - opening, beginning), an orchestral introduction to an opera, ballet, dramatic performance, etc. (often in sonata form), as well as an independent orchestral piece, usually of a programmatic nature.

Symphonic poem is a genre of symphonic program music. A one-movement orchestral work, in accordance with the romantic idea of a synthesis of arts, allowing for a variety of program sources (literature, painting, less often philosophy or history). The creator of the genre is F. Liszt.

Program music is musical works that the composer has provided with a verbal program that concretizes perception. Many programmatic essays are associated with plots and images of outstanding literary works.

(voice), as opposed to orchestral music, where there are groups of instruments playing in unison.

In the 16th-18th centuries, the term “chamber music” was applied to any secular music and was contrasted with church music. Later, with the emergence and development of symphonic music, chamber music began to be called works designed for a small number of performers and a limited circle of listeners. In the 19th-20th centuries, the meaning of chamber music as “music for the elite” gradually disappeared, and the term retained its meaning as a definition of works intended to be performed by small groups of musicians and for a small group of listeners.

The group performing chamber music is called chamber ensemble. As a rule, a chamber ensemble includes from two to ten musicians, rarely more. Historically, the canonical instrumental compositions of some chamber ensembles have developed, for example, piano trio, string quartet, piano quintet, etc.

CHAMBER MUSIC, in its original meaning, music intended for performance in relatively small (mostly domestic) spaces - as opposed to music intended for performance in a church, theater or large concert hall. The constant performance of chamber music in public concerts has changed the meaning of the term. From the end of the 18th century. the expression “chamber music” is applied to works written for performance by an ensemble, in which each part is intended for one performer (and not groups, as in the choir and orchestra) and all parts are more or less equal (unlike works for a solo voice or an instrument with accompaniment). True chamber music, in accordance with the modern view, is of a concentrated, in-depth nature, and chamber genres are better perceived in small rooms, in a free environment, rather than in ordinary concerts and in the acoustic environment of large halls unsuitable for such music.

There are three periods in the history of chamber music:

1. The period from 1450 to 1650, which is characterized by the development of the technique of playing viols and instruments of other families, the gradual emergence of purely instrumental music with the continued predominance of the vocal style. Among the surviving works of this period, written specifically for instrumental compositions without voices, are the fantasies of Orlando Gibbons (1610) and the canzones and sonatas of Giovanni Gabrieli (1615).

2. The period from 1650 to 1750 was marked by the spread of the trio sonata genre (usually composed for two violins and a cello, with a clavier providing the harmonic basis) and other ensembles, both instrumental and with the participation of voices, which were necessarily accompanied by the so-called. digital bass (chords) of a keyboard instrument. Among the masters of the trio sonata of this period are Arcangelo Corelli, Henry Purcell and Handel.

3. The period from 1750 to the present, dominated by the string quartet, consisting of two violins, a viola and a cello.

The basic structure of modern chamber music is almost always a three- or four-movement sonata cycle; free, often programmatic forms, for which orchestral music was noted in the 19th century, had little influence on chamber genres, since the limited timbre capabilities of chamber ensembles did not provide great opportunities for creating original color and strong dramatic effects. The modern chamber instrumental repertoire is still based on the works of the classics: string trios and quartets of Haydn and Mozart, string quintets of Mozart and Boccherini, as well as quartets of Beethoven and Schubert. In the post-classical period, most major composers belonging to different movements (Romanticism, Impressionism and Expressionism) wrote chamber music, but still only a few examples of it became established in the popular repertoire: for example, Schumann’s piano quintet, trios, quartets, quintets and sextets by Brahms, string quartets by Debussy and Ravel.

According to the accepted classification, the concept of “chamber music” includes duets, trios, quartets, quintets, sextets, septets, octets, nonets and decimets, with a wide variety of instruments. Chamber genres also include some genres for solo with accompaniment: for example, romances (chamber-vocal genre) or instrumental sonatas (chamber-instrumental genre). There is a “chamber opera” (for example, Ariadne auf Naxos by R. Strauss, 1925), which implies a small number of performers and a chamber atmosphere of action. The term "chamber orchestra" is applied to an orchestra of no more than 25 players (i.e. a typical orchestra of the era of Haydn and Mozart); however, one should distinguish between a “small orchestra”, which is nothing more than a somewhat reduced “large orchestra”, and a “chamber orchestra”, which involves only one performer per part (possibly two performers on first and second violins and violas) and sufficient independence of each party.