The String Octet in B major, Op. posth., was composed by
Max Bruch
Max Bruch (6 January 1838 – 2 October 1920) was a German Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor who wrote more than 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a prominent staple of the standard v ...
for four violins, two violas, cello and double bass. Completed in 1920, the year of his death, it is his last work and would not be published until 1996.
The work is also known under the name ''Concerto for String Orchestra (Octet)''.
Background
![Max Bruch 1920](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Max_Bruch_1920.jpg)
The octet has its origins in a
string quintet
A string quintet is a musical composition for five string players. As an extension to the string quartet (two violins, a viola, and a cello), a string quintet includes a fifth string instrument, usually a second viola (a so-called "viola quintet" ...
that was written in the first three months of 1919. Following a period of depression caused by the death of his wife Clara and the general dire state of
defeated
Defeated may refer to:
* "Defeated" (Breaking Benjamin song)
* "Defeated" (Anastacia song)
*"Defeated", a song by Snoop Dogg from the album ''Bible of Love''
*Defeated, Tennessee, an unincorporated community
*''The Defeated
''The Defeated'', al ...
Germany, Bruch reworked the string quintet into an octet in 1920. Shortly after its completion, his health deteriorated further, and he died on 2 October.
Bruch dedicated the octet to his friend
Willy Hess, a professor at the
Royal Manchester College of Music
The Royal Manchester College of Music (RMCM) was a tertiary level conservatoire in Manchester, north-west England. It was founded in 1893 by the German-born conductor Sir Charles Hallé in 1893.
In 1972, the Royal Manchester College of Music ...
. Hess, who had the autograph scores in his possession, played through the work with his students, and in 1936 ceded the performing rights to Bruch's eldest son Max Felix and his daughter-in-law Gertrude.
[ Handwritten copies of the parts made by Gertrude have been discovered in the ]BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
Music Library, though it is unclear how they got there. The parts were incorrectly allocated the
97.
on the National network on 16 July 1937.