Octet (Beethoven)

The Octet in E-flat major by Ludwig van Beethoven, Op. 103, is a work for two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, and two horns. It was written in 1792 in Bonn before he established himself in Vienna. Beethoven reworked and expanded the Octet in 1795 as his first String Quintet, Op. 4.^[1] The Octet was not published until 1834 by Artaria, thus explaining the high opus number despite its date of composition.

The frontispiece of the autograph score contains the phrase "in a concert", proving that the piece was destined (at least at one stage) for a concert.

	Octet Op. 103 1. Allegro 2. Andante 3. Menuetto 4. Presto Performed by the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet with other artists in 1981 at Meany Hall
Problems playing these files? See media help.

Structure

The composition is in four movements:^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Allegro
Andante
Menuetto
Presto

References

Notes

↑ In the composer's manuscript, the beginning of an andante movement is written in following the Menuetto. Discarded by the composer, it was later published as the Rondino in E-flat major, WoO. 25.^[2]

↑ Wigmore 2009, p. 2
↑ Cooper 2000, p. 50

Sources

Cooper, Barry (2000). Beethoven. United States: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0191592706.
Watson, Angus (2012). Beethoven's Chamber Music in Context. Woodbridge: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1-84383-716-9.
Wigmore, Richard (2009). Beethoven: String Quintets Opp 4 & 29 (PDF) (CD). Hyperion Records. CDA67693.

External links

Octet in E-flat major, Op. 103: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, October 02, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.