''Octandre'' is a

chamber piece Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numbe ...

Edgard Varèse Edgard Victor Achille Charles Varèse (; also spelled Edgar; December 22, 1883 – November 6, 1965) was a French-born composer who spent the greater part of his career in the United States. Varèse's music emphasizes timbre and rhythm; he coined ...

, written in 1923 and published by J. Curwen & Sons in London in 1924 (new edition, New York: G. Ricordi, 1956; new edition, revised and edited by

Chou Wen-chung Chou Wen-chung (; July 28, 1923 – October 25, 2019) was a Chinese American composer of contemporary classical music. He emigrated in 1946 to the United States and received his music training at the New England Conservatory and Columbia Univers ...

, New York: Ricordi, 1980). It is dedicated to pianist

E. Robert Schmitz E. Robert (Elie Robert) Schmitz was a Franco-American pianist, teacher, writer, editor, and organizer. Biography Schmitz (born February 8, 1889, in Paris) studied with Louis-Joseph Diémer at the Conservatoire de Paris where he won first prize in ...

. ''Octandre'' consists of three

movements Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

: It is scored for 1

piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

, 1

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

, 1 B clarinet/ E clarinet, 1

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

, 1

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

, 1

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

(in C), 1

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

, 1

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

. Paul Griffiths, "Varèse, Edgard dgar(Victor Achille Charles)", ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...

'', 2nd edition, edited by

Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was publ ...

and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan, 2001).

References

'' 4, no. 2 (Spring–Summer): 14–22. * Fulford, William Douglas. 1979. "An Analysis of Sound Masses in ''Hyperprism'', ''Octandre'', and ''Intégrales'', Three Chamber Works by Edgard Varèse". MA Thesis. Fullerton: California State University, Fullerton. * Koto, Katashi. 1988. "Basic Cells and Hybridization in Varèse's ''Octandre''". ''

Sonus Sonus is a Latin word that means “noise, sound” or “tone, character, style.” It is also the root word for sonic and sound and was included in the names of well-known companies, including Sonus Networks, Sony and Panasonic, among others. The ...

'' 8, no. 2:59–67. * Marvin, Elizabeth West. 1991. "The Perception of Rhythm in Non-Tonal Music: Rhythmic Contours in the Music of Edgard Varèse" ''

Music Theory Spectrum ''Music Theory Spectrum'' () is a peer-reviewed, academic journal specializing in music theory and analysis. It is the official journal of the Society for Music Theory, and is published by Oxford University Press. The journal was first published ...

'' 13, no. 1 (Spring): 61–78. * Post, Nora. 1981–82. "Varèse, Wolpe, and the Oboe". ''Perspectives of New Music'' 20, nos. 1–2:135–148. * Ramsier, Paul. 1972. "An Analysis and Comparison of the Motivic Structure of ''Octandre'' and ''Intégrales'', Two Instrumental Works by Edgard Varèse". PhD diss. New York: New York University. * Stempel, Larry. 1979. "Varèse's 'Awkwardness' and the Symmetry in the 'Frame of 12 Tones': An Analytic Approach". ''

The Musical Quarterly ''The Musical Quarterly'' is the oldest academic journal on music in America. Originally established in 1915 by Oscar Sonneck, the journal was edited by Sonneck until his death in 1928. Sonneck was succeeded by a number of editors, including Car ...

'' 65, no. 2 (April): 148–166. * Wilheim, András. 1977. "The Genesis of a Specific Twelve-Tone System in the Works of Varèse". ''Studia Musicologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae'' 19, nos. 1–4:20–26. * Wilkinson, Marc. 1961. "Edgard Varèse: Pionier und Prophet". ''Melos'' 28:68–76. * Yang, Yong. 1995. "The Pitch Structure in Edgard Varèse's ''Octandre''". PhD diss. Waltham, Massachusetts: Brandeis University. {{Authority control Compositions by Edgard Varèse Modernist compositions Compositions for octet 1923 compositions Music dedicated to ensembles or performers

References

Further reading