Nonet
Composition for nine instruments.
What it means
A nonet is a composition for nine instruments or an ensemble of nine players. It belongs to chamber music and lies in size between the octet and the decet. The scoring is not fixed: there are nonets for strings only, for winds only and in mixed scorings.
Musical use
Nonets are rarer than string quartets or quintets. A well-known example is Louis Spohr's Nonet in F major, Op. 31, of 1813, for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and double bass. In the 20th century Bohuslav Martinů and other composers wrote nonets. Because of the larger number of players the texture is often colorful and orchestral.
The nonet should be distinguished from the octet (eight players) and from the chamber orchestra, which needs more players and usually has a conductor.
Performance practice
In a nonet you need good agreement, because without a conductor nine players must breathe together and settle entries. Decide on the leading voice in each section and listen to the overall sound instead of concentrating only on your own part.