''Octandre'' is a chamber piece by

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

, 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 Univ ...

, New York: Ricordi, 1980). It is dedicated to pianist E. Robert Schmitz. ''Octandre'' consists of three

movements Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger c ...

: It is scored for 1

piccolo The piccolo ( ; ) is a smaller version of the western concert flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" or piccolo flute, the modern piccolo has the same type of fingerings as the ...

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

, 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 type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

, 1 B clarinet/ E clarinet, 1

horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...

, 1

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind 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 virtuosity ...

, 1

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

(in C), 1

trombone The trombone (, 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 lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

, 1

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

. 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 t ...

'', 2nd edition, edited by

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

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'' 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 C ...

'' 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