Musical EnsemblesAttending Concerts

Chamber Music• A form of classical music that is composed for a small group of

instruments, one performer to a part.• Duet• Trio• Quartet• Various ensembles up to ten performers

The following are only a few examples of chamber music ensembles. Instrumentation varies as there is no set instrumentation for these genres. The instrumentation is determined by a composer.

Two Instruments• Two instruments

• Sonata Beethoven, “Kreutzer” Sonatahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COGcCBJAC6I

• DuetCopland, Duet for Flute and Pianohttp://content.thespco.org/music/compositions/duo-for-flute-and-piano-aaron-copland/Rossini, Duet for Cello and Basshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8SCz1bEXs

Three Instruments• String Trio

• Violin, Viola, CelloBeethoven, String Trio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VVXP1Y-ckw

• Piano trio• Piano, clarinet, celloBrahms, Trio in A Minorhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOayoH9YRWk

• Piano, violin, celloMozart, Piano Trio in B Flat Majorhttp://content.thespco.org/music/compositions/piano-trio-in-b-flat-wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/

Four Instruments

• Quartet• Brass quartet: trumpet 1, trumpet 2, euphonium, tubahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DO_XtUNQRI

• String quartet: violin 1, violin 2, viola, celloBeethoven, String Quartet in F Minor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaSAdCvzPgU

• Piano quartet: violin, viola, cello, pianoMendelssohn, Piano Quartet in D Minor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6QJu23I7YQ

Five Instruments• Quintet• String quintet: violin 1, violin 2, viola, cello 1, cello 2Schubert, String Quintet in C Majorhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8jgqFnh3q0

• Brass quintet: trumpet, cornet, horn, trombone, tubaBach, Little Fugue in G Minorhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvc4955x_W8

• Wind quintet: flute, oboe, horn, bassoon, clarinetNielsen, Wind Quintethttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQDdD66tv1w

Six Instruments• Sextet • String Sextet: violin 1, violin 2, viola 1, viola 2, cello 1, cello 2Tchaikovsky, Souvenir de Florencehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD2o1VdnmN4Brahms, String Sextethttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0ZboerS4zc

• Wind Sextet: clarinet 1, clarinet 2, horn 1, horn 2, bassoon 1, bassoon 2Beethoven, Wind Sextethttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-qmzhpAfgw

• Mixed ensemble: woodwind quintet (bassoon, horn, flute, oboe, clarinet) and piano

Poulenc, Sextet for Piano and Woodwind Quintet http://content.thespco.org/music/compositions/sextet-for-piano-and-wind-quintet-francis-poulenc/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1mQJkbv_f8

Seven performers• Septet• Mixed ensemble: violin, viola, cello, bass, horn, bassoon, clarinet.Beethoven, Septethttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSOMNr-RzCY

Eight Performers• Octet• Eight musicians, various ensembles. Mendelssohn, String Octet: violin 1, violin 2, violin 3, violin 4, viola 1, viola 2, cello 1, cello 2.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooZc8e4gUWQ

http://content.thespco.org/music/compositions/string-octet-in-e-flat-felix-mendelssohn/

Choral Groups• Chorus – an ensemble of singers.• Mixed: soprano, alto, tenor, bass – SATB.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=475pqwwbZ1w• Male: tenors, baritones, basses.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jRnL6fRdcc• Female: sopranos and altos.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkom5n3DY8U• Children’s: sopranos and altos.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOG99ASUU-o

• Choir - a smaller than a chorus singing ensemble. This term is used in English language. Church choirs.

• Various singing ensembles.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C3G1mMJQUYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpEqeTWI_EQ

The Symphony Orchestra

Strings

• First Violins• Second Violins• Violas• Cellos• Basses• Harp

Woodwinds• Flutes• Piccolo• Oboes• Clarinets• Bassoons• Contrabassoon• Saxophones

Various woodwind instruments discussed previously can be added at composers’ discretions.

Brass• French horns• Trumpets• Trombones• Tubas

Percussion• Timpani• Snare drum• Tenor drum• Bass drum• Cymbals• Tam-tam• Triangle• Wood block• Tambourine• Glockenspiel• Xylophone• Vibraphone• Tubular bells • Marimba

Keyboards• Piano• Celesta

Conductors• Are in charge of planning and preparation to the concerts.• Show not only conducting patterns, but also articulate

expressive qualities of music.Mozart, “Dies Irae” from “Requiem” conducted by H. Karajan, start at 10:16http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia8ceqIDSJw

• Conductorless orchestras• Orpheus Chamber Orchestrahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4Jd8l62r5E• Australian Chamber Orchestrahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kFYlUXO_G4

Listening

As you watch the following videos, please note the sections and instruments listed above.

Verdi, Overture to La Forza del Destinohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thxOV5_YCh4

Britten, The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestrahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vbvhU22uAM

Concert Bands• Professional, collegiate, and school concert and marching

bands and wind ensembles.

• University of Michigan Concert Bandhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWejXR78FN8

Jazz Bands• Duke Ellington Big Bandhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb2w2m1JmCY

• Dave Brubeck Quartethttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHdU5sHigYQ

• Dizzy Gillespie Quintethttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjZa7lyyGlw

Rock Bands• The Beatleshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4zaofnVhps

• Any suggestions?

Concert EtiquetteBasic rules of the concert etiquette at a classical music concert:• Audience• Applaud at appropriate times, not between the sections of a multi-

movement composition.• Do not be disruptive.• Do not leave the auditorium while the music is playing.• Only applauding is an appropriate sign of public appreciation.

• Performers• Solo performers and conductors bow right after they enter the stage

and after the completion of a one-movement piece or a multi-movement cycle.

• Orchestra members will stand up when a conductor appears on the stage.

• A concertmaster (a first violinist) tunes the orchestra before a conductor comes on the stage.

Required Readings• http://openhighschoolcourses.org/mod/page/view.php?id=

11823• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_ensemble• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestra• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_etiquette• http://library.thinkquest.org/22673/

Video assignment:http://digital.films.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=40223&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Genres%20in%20Music:%20From%20Handel%20to%20Hip-Hop&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=