Notes and Editorial Reviews
The cello octet is a formation that is heard only rarely. Yet it harks back to a tradition which was highly esteemed until the early eighteenth century, the practice of forming ensembles of instruments of the same family. Recorder quartets, lute trios and ensembles of hunting horns were for centuries the delight of amateur musicians, to whom they offered an ideal opportunity to express themselves and exchange with each other. It was the requirements of the opera house that gave birth to our modern orchestra. Learned counterpoint and rich ornamentation disappeared, giving way to a much more rigid structure which, by separating melody and harmony, fixed each instrument in a clearly determined role.
The cello octet is a formation that is heard only rarely. Yet it harks back to a tradition which was highly esteemed until the early eighteenth century, the practice of forming ensembles of instruments of the same family. Recorder quartets, lute trios and ensembles of hunting horns were for centuries the delight of amateur musicians, to whom they offered an ideal opportunity to express themselves and exchange with each other. It was the requirements of the opera house that gave birth to our modern orchestra. Learned counterpoint and rich ornamentation disappeared, giving way to a much more rigid structure which, by separating melody and harmony, fixed each instrument in a clearly determined role. Read less
Works on This Recording
2.
El cant del ocells by Pablo Casals
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Les Violoncelles Français
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1972
6.
Après un rêve, Op. 7 no 1 by Gabriel Fauré
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Les Violoncelles Français
Period: Romantic
Written: 1877; France
Customer Reviews
Be the first to review this title
Review This Title
