Chamber music
Sonata
Sonata was the name given by classical composers to works in a number of contrasting movements by one or two instruments, for instance for piano alone or for violin and piano. Other works for larger groups were generally named after the size of the group so a trio was for three instruments, a quartet for four, a quintet for five and so on. Most of these works were written with a first movement in Sonata form, a form described fully in the Form pages of this website. Listen to this excerpt from a sonata for two pianos, a duet. This excerpt is from the exposition of the sonata form of the first movement and contains many concepts associated with the Classical period such as Alberti bass, major scales, pedal, inverted pedal, sequences and many others.
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Here is another example, from the second movement of a violin sonata by Haydn. Notice that in the first playing of the theme the violin plays pizzicato and after a repeat of this music, played arco, there is a short bridge passage before the second theme is played. The excerpt ends with a perfect cadence.
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Chamber music
Chamber music was for performance in a room and one of the most popular groups in this style was the string quartet. By now the viols of the 17th century were completely out of favour and were replaced by the now more familiar violins, violas and cellos. A string quartet was played by a combination of these instruments: two violins, a viola and a cello. These quartets were most often in four movements:
- a fast movement, most often in sonata form
- a slow movement
- a minuet and trio
- a fast movement, often a rondo, or theme and variations, or even another movement in sonata form.
As an example, listen to a theme and variations from a string quartet dedicated to Haydn and composed by Mozart. You will hear the theme and part of the first variation.
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If you have already studied the pages on symphony you will notice that this movement pattern is almost identical to that of the classical symphony. Many musicians regard the symphony as being a sonata for orchestra and a concerto as being a sonata for solo instrument and orchestra.
Here are some examples of movements from chamber works to give you some examples of these styles.
Movement 1: in sonata form. The clarinet was a new instrument at this time and there is no doubt that Mozart was interested in its tone qualities. Listen to part of the exposition from Mozart’s clarinet quintet.
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Movement 2: a slow movement, usually in a simple form. Listen to this short excerpt from a string quartet by Haydn.
Movement 3: a minuet and trio. Listen to this example from a quartet for flute, violin, viola and cello, a flute quartet. Listen carefully for the ternary form,ABA, and that each of these sections is in AB binary form.
Movement 4: a fast movement, and in this example, a rondo from a serenade for 13 wind instruments composed by Mozart. Listen to the entire movement and try to identify the main theme and the episodes in between.
These are just a sample of the many varied combinations of instruments used. During the Romantic period these groupings would be further developed and reflect the many changes in style of composition during that period.