# Atonal Chamber music with more than 6 instruments



## peeyaj (Nov 17, 2010)

Any recommendations, now I am dipping into atonal music chamber repertory??

It should be:

1. More than 6 instruments but less than 10 ( Verklärte Nacht is a no no)

2. Atonal

3. Quite accessible for an atonal music amateur

Discuss any notable works and YT videos are highly appreciated. Thank you!


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## hreichgott (Dec 31, 2012)

Check out eighth blackbird. I believe they play a number of works of this type.


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## Guest (Jan 26, 2014)

Oh peeyaj, all these many threads about "atonality," and you're still trying to use that word as if it were descriptive?

Oh peeyaj. peeyaj, peeyaj, peeyaj. :scold:

(I looked for a shaking head, I really did, but scold was the closest I could find.)

And accessible? You know that none of us know what will be accessible to anyone else. And why not challenge yourself, eh?

And why more than six? There are tons of cool string quartets, you know. Good fun. And trios. Oh my God. The trios I could tell you about. Yeah.

So you want some octets, apparently.

Octandre by Varese is a very nice piece: 




Reich's Eight Lines, too: 




Ustvolskaya: 




I don't really listen to music by how many people are playing, so let's see what other people come up with, shall we?


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

One of my favorites:

Anton Webern - Concerto for Nine Instruments


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Could you further narrow down and limit the parameters of your request, numbers of instruments, and the rest? I'm swimming with too many recommendations to even think straight due to the cumbersome scope of those given parameters


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire is for mezzo-soprano, flute (doubling on piccolo), clarinet (doubling on bass clarinet), violin (doubling on viola), cello, and piano. It's atonal, but not serial/dodecaphonic. Only a subset of the ensemble is used in most of the songs in the cycle, but some of them do use the entire ensemble.


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## peeyaj (Nov 17, 2010)

I am really interested on your recommendations. Recently, Schoenberg's Transfigured Night clicked on me while I was listening to Beethoven's Septet and Schubert's Octet. (weird) I really like the combination of more instruments in chamber music.

*So here it is: updated

1. more than 6 instruments

2. 20th century compositions written in 12 tone technique or serialism ( or an atonal stuff)

3. Can be challenging or accessible ( someguy reccomendation)

4. Any length

Thank you!! *


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## Guest (Jan 26, 2014)

Roslavet's chamber symphony.

Berg's chamber concerto.

Varese, Hyperprism and Integrales.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Me, I want a complete list of works in D minor, for five instruments, of which no more than two are strings and at least one is percussion, that were composed in the first half of 1897 by 31 year-old Latvian composers.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Duplicate. Sorry.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I need this information too, in case I ever go on the show Jeopardy and I'm asked "For $10,000 and a win, name a 20th century 12 tone musical composition with more than 6 instruments that can be challenging or accessible." 

I don't wish to be ill-prepared and name one with only 5 instruments.


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## Guest (Jan 26, 2014)

peeyaj said:


> Any recommendations, now I am dipping into atonal music chamber repertory??
> 
> It should be:
> 
> ...


I didn't realise that you have become a masochist. From Schubert you ought to take things a bit slower before listening to any of this "atonal" stuff as the shock might kill you. Then what we do without a Schubert expert on hand? The place would fall apart. But if you really can't resist the temptation you might take a glance in the direction of Skalkottas. Heep big good music, very nice. Please excuse my short-hand style as I'm trying to be a bit shorter in my comments.


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## Guest (Jan 26, 2014)

brianvds said:


> Me, I want a complete list of works in D minor, for five instruments, of which no more than two are strings and at least one is percussion, that were composed in the first half of 1897 by 31 year-old Latvian composers.


You didn't state whether the composer should be male or female, straight or gay, and most importantly of all whether or not they have any racist tendencies. Assuming you are mainly interested in straight males who have not written any racist pamphlets of any description, there is only one name worth considering and that's .... damn it, I've forgotten.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Luciano Berio ~ Concertino, for Clarinet, Violin; w strings harp & celesta





Stravinsky:
Septet
II




III Gigue




In Memoriam Dylan Thomas





Irving Fine ~ String Quartet









Arthur Berger ~ Duo for 'Cello and Piano





Marc-André Dalbavie:
Piano Quartet




Les Paradis mécaniques, for four wind instruments, Brass sextet and piano









Luigi Dallapiccola;
Two Studies for Violin and Piano




Five songs for Baritone and Eight Instruments





I was hoping to find a link Charles Wuorinen's The Winds... but found this
Hyperion ~ for twelve instruments





PS: I've only complied in somewhat half measure, i.e. all serial, not all atonal pieces here, just because,and because many actually need to know that


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## ahammel (Oct 10, 2012)

peeyaj said:


> I am really interested on your recommendations. Recently, Schoenberg's Transfigured Night clicked on me while I was listening to Beethoven's Septet and Schubert's Octet.


_Verklärte Nacht_ is tonal, I'm afraid.

A new favourite of mine is Luigi Dallapiccola's _Piccola Musica Notturna_[sup]1.[/sup] for octet. PeterB posted it on another thread a while back and I've been burning through Dallapiccola's complete works ever since.

1. A double pun on his name and _Eine Kleine Nachtmusik_, I think.


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

There's a lot of percussion music in the 20th century.

Takemitsu: Rain Coming, for percussion

Boulez: Le marteau sans maitre

Varese: Ionisation


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

_Concerto for 8_ (1962) by Roberto Gerhard.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Elliott Carter, Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, 'Cello and Harpsichord (atonal but not serial)


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

You should really enjoy any of George Perle's four Wodwind Quintets...(oops that's 5 players, not 6  ) but his approach to 12-tone is quite nice


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## ahammel (Oct 10, 2012)

Charles Wuorinen, last of the dodecaphonists, takes a fairly jaunty approach to his craft. You may enjoy his _River of Light_. I could not swear to the precise number of instruments called for, but I believe it is described as a 'chamber orchestra'. I should estimate between eight and twelve.


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## peeyaj (Nov 17, 2010)

Thanks to all! Currently listening to some in YT. 

And my devotion to Schubert would never ever be surpassed! ^_^


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## revdrdave (Jan 8, 2014)

Partita said:


> You didn't state whether the composer should be male or female, straight or gay, and most importantly of all whether or not they have any racist tendencies. Assuming you are mainly interested in straight males who have not written any racist pamphlets of any description, there is only one name worth considering and that's .... damn it, I've forgotten.


Folks, folks...really? Give peeyaj a break. He asked in good faith for some guidance. Is all this necessary?


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

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## rrudolph (Sep 15, 2011)

ahammel said:


> Charles Wuorinen, last of the dodecaphonists, takes a fairly jaunty approach to his craft. You may enjoy his _River of Light_. I could not swear to the precise number of instruments called for, but I believe it is described as a 'chamber orchestra'. I should estimate between eight and twelve.


Speculum Speculi and New York Notes are worth a listen too (as are many other works by Wuorinen that don't necessarily fit the parameters of this discussion).


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Pateras: Chromatophore 
A piece for amplified string octet (two each of violins, violas, cellos, basses) which I had the pleasure of witnessing in I think its first performance some years ago. An inspiration for me to explore new ways of composing for strings! I believe you can buy it in Amazon at not a high price, I am yet to come across it on YouTube but I haven't searched it recently....


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

peeyaj said:


> Thanks to all! Currently listening to some in YT.
> 
> And my devotion to Schubert would never ever be surpassed! ^_^


There is no betrayal possible of an old musical love if and when a new one comes along: there is just more to love.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Robert Helps ~ Piano Quartet





... and....
Not serial by half, but I offer it here for its strong approach in making music by way of interval vs. vertical harmonic thinking, certainly influenced by serialism and its horizontal / vertical aesthetic means of going about writing a piece. I.e. it requires, I think, a very similar way of listening. Its compositional M.O. and the chromaticism might lead some to think it might be 'serial,' especially in the first half.

(strong and lovely piece, imo)

Irving Fine ~ Notturno for Strings and Harp


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

Not necessarily serial:

Ligeti - _Kammerkonzert_: 




Boulez - _Dérive I_: 




Takemitsu - _Rain Spell_: 




Babbitt - _All Set_: 




All of that is quite "accessible".


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Australian composer *Richard Meale's* _Incredible Floridas_ fits the description (it is a sextet, including strings, flute and piano). Its on the Tall Poppies label (can't find it on youtube, but there is this ten minute film on it by youtube, about Meale's fascination with Rimbaud's poetry which inspired it, it also has some excerpts from the work as a soundtrack.

Stylistically speaking this piece has things in common with Messiaen especially, but also Boulez and Takemitsu. It starts with the players whispering lines from The Drunken Boat by Rimbaud and the pianist playing note equivalents of it (this is at 5:40 in the video, and a lengthy excerpt of the work's mysterious beginning follows), and has passages reminiscent of gamelan with some aspects of thematic unity throughout. Its a fascinating synthesis of post-serial and also Asian inspired musics, and not long after Meale would go into other areas, like Penderecki he abandoned experimentation in favour of tradition as the 1980's approached, and a bit like Stravinsky he was a stylistic chameleon.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

*Wallingford Riegger: Nonet for Brass Op.49 (1951)*


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