Octet
A work for eight players.
What it means
An octet is a work for eight soloistically scored parts and at the same time the designation for the performing ensemble. The scorings are varied: pure string octets of four violins, two violas, and two cellos, pure wind scorings such as were usual in the Harmoniemusik of the late eighteenth century, and mixed groups of strings and winds. In the vocal field, too, the term designates an ensemble of eight singers.
Musical use
With eight parts, the octet stands at the boundary between chamber music and small orchestra. It is still scored soloistically but can already work with group effects: the composer can divide the scoring, set two quartets against each other, or underlay a melody several times. With string octets this produces a full, orchestrally acting sound without transparency being lost. The Harmoniemusik for wind octet originally served entertainment and was carried by arrangements of popular operas, before independent works were added.
Well-known octets were written by Mendelssohn for strings, Schubert for strings and winds, and Stravinsky for winds. Mendelssohn was only sixteen years old when he composed his Octet, op. 20.
Performance practice
Arrange the seating so that everyone hears one another; with eight players this is no longer self-evident. Decide whether and how it is led — many octets are played without a conductor, which demands clear agreements about entries and tempo changes. Rehearse in subgroups, for instance quartet by quartet, before bringing everyone together. Watch the balance, because eight voices easily thicken into an opaque sound. Agree phrasing and articulation explicitly.
Bear in mind that octets are often played without a conductor and communication must then be organized: fix who leads, how entries are given, and who sets the direction at tempo changes.
Check whether a part is to be doubled, because some works stand between chamber-music and orchestral execution.
Also check whether the work is written for winds, strings, or a mixed scoring, before ordering parts.