# Recommed some chamber music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 25, 2004, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-some-chamber-music/241974 "2004-04-25T22:44:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2004, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-some-chamber-music/241974/1 "2004-04-25T22:44:54Z")
I’ve never been a fan of chamber music until recently. I ended up with a couple of cds of Beethoven’s Piano Trios and String Quartets at a music show I went to. I was amazed I liked them as much as I do. So, what should be my next purchase? A friend of mine (ex-music major) suggested Beethoven’s Piamo Sonatas as well as Mozart’s String Quintets. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2004, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-some-chamber-music/241974/2 "2004-04-25T23:21:06Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I’ve never been a fan of chamber music until recently. I ended up with a couple of cds of Beethoven’s Piano Trios and String Quartets at a music show I went to. I was amazed I liked them as much as I do. So, what should be my next purchase? A friend of mine (ex-music major) suggested Beethoven’s Piamo Sonatas as well as Mozart’s String Quintets. Piano Sonatas of course are not “chamber music” per se; they are solo piano pieces (wonderful they are, however). Certainly Beethoven’s Piano Trios and String Quartets are magnificent. Also check out his String Trios and his Quintet for Piano and Winds (Mozart has a spectacular piece for the same instrumentation.) Other highly recommended chamber music: Mozart: String Quartets (in particular the set dedicated to Haydn) String Quintets, Piano Quartets, Oboe Quartet, Clarinet Quintet, Piano and Wind Quintet Schubert: Piano Trios, String Quartets (especially the late ones), Octet Schumann: Piano Quintet, Piano Quintet, String Quartets Brahms: Piano Trios, Piano Quartets, Piano Quintet, String Quintets, String Sextets, Clarinet Quintet, Clarinet Trio, Horn Trio That’ll keep you busy for a little while, methinks. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-some-chamber-music/241974/3 "2004-04-25T23:25:35Z")
By the way, I’m a classical musician myself (I’m actually a professor of music, even) and I play bassoon. Among the joys of my job is performing in the faculty Wind Quintet. Simply put, chamber music is some of the most glorious music making there is. Here’s a few of my favorite wind quintets (a wind quintet consists of flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon): Samuel Barber: Summer Music Carl Nielsen: Quintet, op. 43 Gyorgy Ligeti: Six Bagatelles Francis Poulenc: Sextet (Wind Quintet + Piano) Heitor Villa-Lobos: Quintet in the form of a Choros Danzi and Reicha have a load of classical/early Romantic era Wind Quintet. They’re attractive pieces. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-some-chamber-music/241974/4 "2004-04-26T00:21:09Z")
All of the suggestions in **Knorf** ’s first post are great (although I’m sure he meant to include Schumann’s Piano _Quartet_ rather than listing the Quintet twice). Dvorak also wrote a ton of great chamber music; his “American” string quartet is a good place to start. I never met a Haydn string quartet I didn’t like; my favorite is “The Lark” (Opus 66, number 5), but in general, Haydn got better as he got older, so look for the higher opus numbers. That’ll get you started… ---
**Author:** ![gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gentle)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-some-chamber-music/241974/5 "2004-04-26T14:53:30Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > So, what should be my next purchase? [Jean Francaix: _L’ heure du berger for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, & piano_](http://www.allclassical.com/cg/acg.dll?p=acg&sql=2:126118) (known in English as _The Flower Clock_) [Francis Poulenc: Sonata for clarinet & piano](http://www.allclassical.com/cg/acg.dll?p=acg&sql=2:167211) Anything by Brahms. Especially the clarinet trio, the cello sonatas, and the amazing [piano quintet in F minor](http://www.allclassical.com/cg/acg.dll?p=acg&sql=2:26803). ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommed-some-chamber-music/241974/6 "2004-04-26T22:42:00Z")
Ravel’s String Quartet will knock your socks off.