Having a look at my Chamber music collection, I noticed it was full of piano trios, string quartets, string quintets, piano quintets and so many pieces for piano & 1 other instrument.
It lacks more original forms.
They're generally less famous, but among the few unusual ensembles I have, there's a good proportion of great works.
Let's mention these :
Zelenka : trio sonata n°2, for 2 oboes and bassoon
Schumann : Märchenerzählungen, for clarinet, viola and piano
Andante & variations, for 2 cellos, 2 pianos and horn
Dohnanyi : Sextet for piano, violin, viola, cello, clarinet & horn
Ravel : Introduction & Allegro, for string quartet, clarinet, flute & harp
Quote from: quintett op.57 on December 24, 2009, 03:51:54 PM
Dohnanyi : Sextet for piano, violin, viola, cello, clarinet & horn
I like the Penderecki Sextet for exactly this combo of instruments.
Also Stravinsky's Octet, whose exact instrumentation I can't remember but it calls for both tenor and bass trombone. Stravinsky wrote a number of chamber works for unusual ensembles.
Mentioning Stravinsky is so pertinent.
Notably because he's such a master of wind instruments.
Franz Schmidt: quintet for piano left hand,clarinet,violin,viola and cello.
Holst:quintet for piano, oboe,clarinet,horn and faggot.
d'Indy:trio for piano,clarinet and cello
Balakireff: Octet (one movement) for piano, violin, viola, cello, flute, oboe, french horn and bass.
A piece which (great timing!) I happened to revisit last night: Prokofiev's Quintet in g minor, Opus 39 (ob/cl/vn/va/cb)
Also, I've been asked for a piece for violin & harpsichord.
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on December 25, 2009, 05:26:04 AM
Also, I've been asked for a piece for violin & harpsichord.
at your order sir:
Milhaud:sonate op.257.
Vittorio Rieti:Sonata breve
I was unclear: I have been asked to compose a piece for violin & harpsichord.
Messiaen: Fête des belles eaux for 6 ondes martenot
Hindemith: Trio for heckelphone, viola and piano
Saxophone quartets (4 saxes) by Genzmer, Glazunov, Bumcke and Françaix
Moór: Suite for 4 Cellos, also Jongen: 2 Pieces op.89 for 4 Cellos
most obvious: Schubert's "Trout" Quintet that needs a double bass
A long time ago I was in a chamber group consisting of flute, oboe, and clarinet. (I was the oboist.) Although we played a lot of arrangements, there is actually some nice music composed for this combination, including a Malcolm Arnold Divertimento composed in 1952. 8)
From the files: Quote
Starlings on the Rooftop. (2005) Flute, English horn, bassoon. Composed for Second Winds.
Korngold: Suite for piano left hand, 2 violins & cello, op.23.
Chausson: Concert for violin, piano & string quartet, op.21.
Wolfgang Rihm loves to write chamber music for interesting combinations of instruments - here is just five:
Deploration for flute, cello, percussion
Abschieds-Marsch for 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, percussion
Bild (eine Chiffre) for French horn, trumpet, trombone, viola, cello, double bass, piano, 2 percussion
Sphäre um Sphäre for flute, oboe, A-clarinet, harp, violin, viola, cello, double bass, 2 pianos, percussion,
Kolchis , harp, cello, 5-string double bass, piano, high woodblock [+ large tam-tam]
For a complete list look here (http://www.composers21.com/compdocs/rihmw.htm)
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on December 25, 2009, 05:26:04 AM
Also, I've been asked for a piece for violin & harpsichord.
Karl, how about a triad of works or movements, each for violin, flute, clarinet (respectively) & harpsichord? 8)
Hmmm . . . .
The first thing that comes to mind is the chamber sets of Charles Ives, which combine instruments in unusal ways. "From the Incantation," for instance, is scored for three violins, trumpet, flute and piano.
Then there's some of the more famous works of Carter, such as the Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Cello and harpsichord; the Triple Duo, for violin, cello, flute, clarinet, piano and percussion; or the Trilogy for Oboe and Harp.
Oh, and Bartok's Sonata for two pianos and percussion.
Lots of cool stuff out there.
Quote from: Wanderer on December 27, 2009, 10:22:39 AM
Korngold: Suite for piano left hand, 2 violins & cello, op.23.
That's an absolute beauty and one of my favourite chamber works. And the works by Ives that Joe mentions are almost all fantastic.
Goldschmidt's trio for oboe, cello and harp is quite nice too.
Quote from: Guido on December 29, 2009, 09:47:20 AM
And the works by Ives that Joe mentions are almost all fantastic.
Almost?
Didn't someone recently mention a string quartet with two cellos? I regret to say that I have forgotten whose work it was or who mentioned it.
And, another vote for Chausson's Op. 21.
You should check these out:
A septet for trumpet, piano, string quartet, and bass, along with some other delightful chamber works:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61JAFA6EKML._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
Six discs of quintets, sextets, septets, octets, and nonets with well-varied instrumentation by early Romantics:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4182522A8ZL._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
Bax wrote a number of chamber works for unusual ensembles, such as an Elegiac Trio for harp, viola, and flute and a Fantasy Sonata for harp and viola:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51jJq0b0U4L._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
Quotemost obvious: Schubert's "Trout" Quintet that needs a double bass
There's an excellent period group, the Nepomuk Fortepiano Quintet, that's recorded three albums on Brilliant of works for that supposedly unusual ensemble:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41HEQ68RV4L._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
So far, they've covered Hummel, Dussek, Onslow, Ries, Limmer, Cramer, and Schubert. And CPO has released an excellent disc of two piano quintets with bass by Louise Farrenc, one of the great unsung Romantic female composers.
Onslow's various sextets, septets, nonets, etc. feature a varied array of instrumentation:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ar2vPyRBL._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
Quote from: Opus106 on December 30, 2009, 06:51:35 AM
Didn't someone recently mention a string quartet with two cellos? I regret to say that I have forgotten whose work it was or who mentioned it.
Boccherini wrote numerous string quintets scored for two cellos (and three for string quartet plus bass). I don't know about quartets with two cellos, though.
Quote from: Grazioso on December 31, 2009, 03:14:04 AM
Boccherini wrote numerous string quintets scored for two cellos.
Yes, I'm aware of those. And of course, the grander conception for the ensemble by Schubert.
Now, I just searched the forum for "two cellos." While I did not find post I was looking for, I did run into older ones which mention Arensky's string quartet employing two cellos. (No. 2 in A minor, Op. 35.)
just bought Olympia OCD 710 containing L.Bernstein's Variations on an Octatonic Scale for recorder and cello
Quote from: Carolus on December 25, 2009, 02:22:21 AM
Holst:quintet for piano, oboe,clarinet, horn and faggot.
Mozart: quintet for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and faggot
Beethoven: quintet for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and faggot
Rimsky Korsakoff: quintet for piano, flute, clarinet, horn and faggot
Quote from: James on March 04, 2010, 10:42:32 AM
check out Stockhausen's chamber/ensemble pieces...
http://www.stockhausen.org/Ensemble_works_Stockhausen.pdf
But none of that is music!
*Runs away*
You're trying to suggest that a piece for two harps is an unusual ensemble, is that it?
I wish Stockhausen had not gotten into electronic music and had written more music for conventional ensembles and instruments.
Quote from: James on March 04, 2010, 11:42:47 AM
What a moronic statement, but coming from you it's not surprising tho.
LOL
Nor is your response surprising.
If you don't know these, you should;
Bonis: Op 72 Septuor-Fantaisie ou Concerto for piano, two flutes and string quartet
Op 123 Scènes de la Forêt for piano, flute and horn (also arranged for harp, flute and cello.)
In one of Chavez's songs, the singer is accompanied by a 'string quartet' which consists of flute, clarinet, viola, bassoon.
Xenakis- N'Shima, for 2 peasant voices, 2horns, 2tbones, cello
Here's my choice:
piccolo
trumpet
percussion/piano/harp/harpsichord/guitar/mandolin ( ;D)
viola,... or, a santur (double ;D),... or, is that a sambar?? haha
tuba
ALL STRANGE ENSEMBLES MUST HAVE A TUBA OR PICCOLO!!!
Soprano and doublebass, or flute and doublebass, is very popular (Dusapin, Dillon)
I hate things like, mmm,...violin and woodblock.
I HATE THE WOODBLOCK!! >:D
Scelsi.
I'm surprised that this one has been overllooked;
Claude Debussy (!) - Sonate pour flute, alto et harpe (1916)
:o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( >:D >:D >:D >:D>:D
Vladimir Shcherbachov's strikingly beautiful 1919 Nonet is scored for soprano (without text), flute, harp, piano, string quartet - and mime!
So if you listen to a recording it's actually an Octet ;D
Quote from: James on June 29, 2010, 07:03:00 AM
Gould was a genius,one of the greatest musicians and musical thinkers of the last century ...
That may be, but he was a notorious misanthrope towards composers other than his beloved Bach.
I prefer Stravinsky's saying about Mozart: "Too easy for amateurs, too hard for professionals." ;D
The Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos wrote for some unusual chamber ensembles. For example, in the Choros series we have:
No. 3 for clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, 3 horns and trombone.
No. 4 for 3 horns and trombone
No. 7 for flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, violin, cello and an offstage tam-tam
Sexteto mistico, for flute, oboe, saxophone, harp, celesta and guitar
Janacek wrote three chamber works for unusual combinations -
Mladi (Youth) - for the conventional wind quintet of flute, oboe, clarinet and horn plus a bass clarinet
Concertino - for piano, clarinet, bassoon, horn, two violins and viola
Capriccio - for piano (left hand), flute/piccolo, two trumpets, three trombones and tenor tuba - this is verging on the orchestral but still small enough to be considered chamber
While we are in the thread necropolis 8)
Quote from: abidoful on May 27, 2010, 09:22:38 AM
I'm surprised that this one has been [overlooked];
Claude Debussy (!) - Sonate pour flute, alto et harpe (1916)
But, its greatness has meant that many pieces have since employed that trio.
Why, I have written one, myself . . . .
Two unusual ensembles of mine own:
Out in the Sun, Op.88 for two clarinets (cl 2 = bass cl), saxophone quartet (sop, alto, ten, bar), three trombones (2 tenor, 1 bass) and tuba
And, lo! What should I discover by seeming chance this morning, but that the piece has been played again just this year!
http://www.youtube.com/v/YdtFnpuugPc
And: In the Artist's Studio (There's a wide world in there), Op.107 for Eb sopranino clarinet, 3 oboes, alto flute, Cor anglais, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, contrabassoon, 4 horns, three trombones (2 tenor, 1 bass), tuba & harp.
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on March 27, 2018, 03:25:23 AM
Two unusual ensembles of mine own:
Out in the Sun, Op.88 for two clarinets (cl 2 = bass cl), saxophone quartet (sop, alto, ten, bar), three trombones (2 tenor, 1 bass) and tuba
And: In the Artist's Studio (There's a wide world in there), Op.107 for Eb sopranino clarinet, 3 oboes, alto flute, Cor anglais, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, contrabassoon, 4 horns, three trombones (2 tenor, 1 bass), tuba & harp.
Amen! 0:)
In the Artist's Studio is another all-around fave! Maybe our Ann Arbor supporters can give that a test drive!
One of my favorites from an unusual ensemble: Martinů's Musique de Chambre No. 1, for clarinet, violin, viola, cello, harp and piano, H. 376. I wouldn't say this is an unusual ensemble per se, but the clarinet added into the string-laden texture of the music is quite interesting plus the percussiveness of the piano part.
...being a composer that already has strange instrumentation... (one of which is Organ, Harpsichord, Piano, Vibraphone, Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass)
i have a hard time seeing many strange works.
...*thinks,
...
...
I played 2nd trumper in Böhme's Brass Sextet a couple times. It's a nifty piece.