OSHER 822 - Chamber Music: A Survey

Chamber music is often defined as instrumental ensemble music performed by one player to a part. Contrast this with orchestral music, in which there are several players for each part. Our survey of chamber music will focus mostly on string quartets, string trios, and brass quintets by composers from various periods, including Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel, Bartok, and Hindemith. We will explore form and style so that by the sixth session, students will able to identify the characteristic sounds of classicism, romanticism, impressionism, and post-impressionism.