The Sextet for Horns and String Quartet, Op. 81b, was written by composer

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

, probably around 1795, and published by Simrock Verlag in 1810. It is in the key of

E major E major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, F-flat maj ...

and is scored for two

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 ...

s and a

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

. It was probably modelled on the Horn Quintet in the same key by

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

( K. 407) and like the earlier work it is written in a concertante style, with virtuosic writing for the two horns.

Background

Prior to the publication by Simrock in 1810, nothing is known about the circumstances of the piece's composition beyond the existence of a few sketches that confirm the work was composed in the mid 1790s. The concertante nature of the piece has led writers like John Henken to speculate that the piece may have been written for specific

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

-based performers, and to express surprise that more is not known about the work's early history.

Structure

The piece consists of three movements: The typical performance time is around 15 - 17 minutes.

References

Notes Sources * * * * * * *

External links

* * - Performed by members of the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

. Chamber music by Ludwig van Beethoven 1795 compositions Compositions in E-flat major Compositions for horn

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

{{Chamber-composition-stub