What's Chamber Music?!

The term chamber music is generally used to describe a piece of music written to be performed by a small ensemble with one instrumentalist or singer to a part. The intimate nature of the music comes from the fact that it was originally intended to be performed by a small group in a room or chamber. It is often regarded as being the most fun to play by both amateurs and professionals alike - perhaps this is because there is no conductor dictating to the players!

A Brief History of Chamber Music

From the middle ages onwards many different types of ensemble pieces which could be described as chamber music were very popular. Often the music performed was written for any combination of instruments or voices. By the sixteenth century, many respectable families would own chests of viols or recorders for the entertainment of themselves and their friends.

During the Baroque Period the chief type of chamber music was the Trio Sonata which was written for two violins and continuo. There were two types of Trio Sonata - the sonata da camera and the sonata da chiesa. Both were works consisting of a number of contrasting movements but their characteristics were a little different. The sonata da chiesa was designed to be performed in church so the mood of the movements tended to be more subdued than that of the sonata da camera which often included dance movements.

In the mid eighteenth century a new type of chamber music emerged. From this time it was classified according to the number of string players as follows: trio, quartet, quintet etc. If one of the string players was replaced by another instrument, names such as Piano Trio or Clarinet Quintet were used. The chamber music of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert represent the classical period and it was at this time that the four movement overall structure was established. This consisted of a lively first movement in sonata form; a lyrical slow movement; a minuet and trio movement and finally a lively rondo or rondo sonata. Practically all subsequent composers adhered to this plan. Of course composers being creative artists broke away from these structures - as Beethoven did in his free form in op.131 string quartet and Schubert in his Die Forelle Piano Quintet, but generally the format was adhered to.

Throughout the nineteenth century chamber music continued to be composed and, as forms and structures evolved, so too did its characteristics change. Some of the great composers of Romantic chamber music included Brahms, Schumann, Dvořák, and Franck, all of whom brought their own particular style to the genre.
The incredible diversity of styles in the twentieth century also had a huge impact on chamber music. Whilst the music of Ravel, Debussy, Schönberg, Berg, Copland and Shostakovich are all very individualistic, they still aimed at retaining the basic intimacy which was a common feature of chamber music from its origins. It is perhaps this intimacy and the democratic nature of the music with its conversationalist style which makes chamber music so popular with performers and listeners alike.

Nuala Shaw