What is this - an octet. The concept of an octet in music and an example

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Music accompanies us throughout life: scientists have proven that even in the womb, a child begins to perceive music, is able to respond to it. And the best choice to listen to is the classic. It is easy to understand and does not bother.

At school, children get acquainted with the basics of classical music, including concepts such as duet, trio or quartet. However, not everyone knows the name of musical works performed by a large group of musicians. What is an octet in music? How many people are required for such an ensemble?

What is this?

In itself, this word is translated from Latin as the number "eight". The term is widely used in fields such as chemistry, computer science, and music.

In music, this concept began to be widely used only in the 19th century, although many works of chamber music were written in the form of octets.

Using the octet in music

An octet is a term used to refer to a piece written for eight musical instruments or singers. Moreover, the toolsdo not have to be different. So, the very first piece, called an octet, was written by a Prussian prince and was supposed to be performed by two violins, a pair of horns, two cellos and a piano with a flute. There are compositions written for 8 identical instruments. For example, one of the Brazilian composers of the 20th century wrote a piece for 8 cellos.

Another meaning of the term is an ensemble (vocal or instrumental) consisting of eight musicians.

In general, such ensembles are quite rare, so for the performance of various works written for eight voices or instruments, four duets or two quartets can temporarily unite.

Who wrote works for eight musicians?

Classical pieces of music, the performance of which requires a relatively small number of people (up to ten) are called chamber pieces. And the octet is one of the forms of chamber musical art. Works for performance by a group of eight people were written at different times by: Anton Rubinstein, Dmitri Shostakovich, Igor Stravinsky, Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Schubert, Joseph Haydn and many other eminent composers.

In addition to the classics, a group of eight musicians can be found in other directions. Jazz bands and even rock bands perform in this composition. For example, the octet is the Swedish avant-garde metal band Diablo Swing Orchestra and the American rock band Guns N’ Roses.