A woodwind quartet (or wind quartet) is a musical ensemble for four

woodwind instruments Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and re ...

. Alternatively the term refers to music composed for this ensemble. The most common scoring is flute,

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. ...

, clarinet and bassoon. The ensemble is also often used as a teaching ensemble in schools and universities and as a concertino group in a

concerto grosso The concerto grosso (; Italian language, Italian for ''big concert(o)'', plural ''concerti grossi'' ) is a form of baroque music in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists (the ''#Concertino, concertino'') and full orc ...

Sound

The woodwind quartet contains four instruments from different subgroups of the woodwind family. This gives the ensemble a wide range with different timbres in different ranges. The flute and oboe provide the high tones, the bassoon the low tones, and the clarinet both the high and low tones. Despite its timbral variety, the available repertoire for this ensemble is smaller compared to other chamber music ensembles. One reason is that the instrumentation of a woodwind quartet resembles that of a

woodwind quintet A wind quintet, also known as a woodwind quintet, is a group of five wind players (most commonly flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn and bassoon). Unlike the string quartet (of 4 string instruments) with its homogeneous blend of sound color, the in ...

, which has a larger repertoire.

Roles

Since the professional repertoire for this ensemble is limited, few professional woodwind quartets exist. The woodwind quartet, as well as chamber music as a whole, is commonly used as an educational ensemble in schools and universities. Many works for the ensemble exist at varying difficulties, allowing for musicians of different skills to participate in the ensemble. Works for the woodwind quartet that are often performed are Heitor Villa-Lobos' Quartet (1928) and Elliot Carter's Eight Etudes and a Fantasy (1950). Some composers have also added the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

or harp to the woodwind quartet, such as

Franz Danzi Franz Ignaz Danzi (15 June 1763 – 13 April 1826) was a German cellist, composer and conductor, the son of the Italian cellist Innocenz Danzi (1730–1798) and brother of the noted singer Franzeska Danzi. Danzi lived at a significant time in t ...

in his Quintet in F major, Op. 53. In addition to its use as a chamber ensemble, the woodwind quartet may function as a concertino group in a concerto grosso. Examples are the Quadruple Concerto for woodwind quartet and orchestra (1935) by

Jean Françaix Jean René Désiré Françaix (; 23 May 1912, in Le Mans – 25 September 1997, in Paris) was a French neoclassical composer, pianist, and orchestrator, known for his prolific output and vibrant style. Life Françaix's natural gifts were encour ...

, and the Concerto Grosso for woodwind quartet and wind ensemble (1959) by Heitor Villa-Lobos.

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ' ...

added a harp to the woodwind quartet in his Concerto for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, harp, and orchestra (1949).

Woodwind quartet repertoire

20th century

* Karl Goepfart (1859–1942), Wind Quartet in D minor, Op. 93 (1907) * Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959), Quartet, for flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon (1928) * Jean René Désiré Françaix (1912–1997), Quartet for winds (1933) *

Frank Bridge Frank Bridge (26 February 187910 January 1941) was an English composer, violist and conductor. Life Bridge was born in Brighton, the ninth child of William Henry Bridge (1845-1928), a violin teacher and variety theatre conductor, formerly a m ...

(1879–1941), Divertimenti (Prelude, Nocturne, Scherzetto, and Bagatelle) (1934–1938) * Arthur Berger (1912–2003), Quartet for Winds in C Major (1941) * Jesús Bal y Gay (1905-1993), Divertimento para cuatro instrumentos de viento (1942) *

Elliott Carter Elliott Cook Carter Jr. (December 11, 1908 – November 5, 2012) was an American modernist composer. One of the most respected composers of the second half of the 20th century, he combined elements of European modernism and American "ultra- ...

(1908–2012), ''Eight Etudes and a Fantasy'' for woodwind quartet (1950) * Milton Babbitt (1916–2011), Woodwind Quartet (1953) *

Tadeusz Baird Tadeusz Baird (26 July 19282 September 1981) was a Polish composer. Biography Baird was born in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, in Poland. His father Edward was Scottish, while his mother Maria (née Popov) was Russian. In 1944 at the age of 16 he was dep ...

(1928–1981), Divertimento for flute, oboe, clarinet & bassoon (1956) *

Mario Davidovsky Mario Davidovsky (March 4, 1934 – August 23, 2019) was an Argentine-American composer. Born in Argentina, he emigrated in 1960 to the United States, where he lived for the remainder of his life. He is best known for his series of compositions ca ...

(born 1934), Three Pieces for woodwind quartet (1956) * Nancy Van de Vate (born 1930), Woodwind Quartet (1964) * Steven R. Gerber (born 1948), Woodwind Quartet (1967) * Gloria Coates (born 1938), ''Five Abstractions of the Poems by Emily Dickinson'', for woodwind quartet (1975)

21st century

* Michael Edward Edgerton (born 1961), le Critérion, for woodwind quartet (2000/2008) *

David Carlson David Carlson (born 13 March 1952) is an American composer. Early life Carlson studied theory and composition at the Los Angeles High School of the Arts and with Leonard Stein at the California Institute of the Arts. From 1988 to 1992 he was coo ...

(born 1952), Woodwind Quartet (Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon) (2010) * Ricardo Matosinhos (born 1982), Suite Açaí (Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon) (2016)

Notable wind quartets

* Tetrawind

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wind Quartet Chamber music Types of musical groups 4