When woodwind and brass instruments come together, the wonderful contrasting combinations create an amazing plethora of resonance and tone. Since all mixed wind instruments generate sound directly using the breath, there is a special bond between all mixed wind chamber musicians. Browse our sheet music and scores, and explore the wide world of mixed wind chamber music with Stretta Music today!
The possibilities for mixed wind ensembles consisting of the classic woodwind instruments (flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon) and the classic brass instruments (horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba), traditionally consisting of two to nine musicians, are simply huge. Nevertheless, there are a number of traditional instrumental constellations which have developed over time. Possibly the most well-known form of mixed wind chamber music is the woodwind quintet which consists of all four classic woodwind instruments and horn.
Harmoniemusik first appeared in around 1770 and was mainly heard at court in open-air concerts and in the royal chambers. The standard line-up was wind octet consisting of two oboes, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons, which was often joined by a bass instrument, either contrabassoon or double bass.