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chamber music

chamber music

8 5.3
Music for a small group of instruments, like a string quartet, played for a small audience
  • noun
  • /ˈtʃeɪmbər ˈmjuːzɪk/
translation icon : música de cámara
  • The local community center hosts a monthly chamber music concert featuring talented musicians in a cozy setting.
  • chamber music ensemble
  • chamber music concert
  • play chamber music

We don't we don't want to give up, But for I don't know, there's something, there's something about TV that to me is like chamber music.

Examples

  • Many New York Philharmonic musicians perform in the orchestra's chamber music series.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The purpose of this study was to examine collaborative composing in high school string chamber music ensembles.

    Academic text (2015)
  • The new, louder guitar had six single strings and was a favorite of the chamber music scene.

    Academic text (1998)
  • I love his chamber music... and his compositions for the harp.

  • In this way, music educators can help all their students participate in the delights of playing chamber music.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Their mother, who played viola in chamber-music groups on the West Coast, had never remarried.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • At the second, an English group known as the Sacconi Quartet played chamber music for strings by Franz Schubert.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Vivaldi was prolific in the areas of chamber music (more than five hundred of his concerti survive), opera, and sacred music.

    Academic text (2011)
  • During the intimate gathering, the guests enjoyed beautiful chamber music performed by a string quartet.

  • She often listens to chamber music while studying, as its soothing melodies help her concentrate.

Synonyms

chamber-work
vschamber music
1 8.2

Music for a small group of instruments with one player per part

focuses more on serious pieces meant for intimate performance rather than large halls
concerted music
vschamber music
  • Specialized
7.3

Music for several singers or players, each with a different part

refers specifically to serious small ensemble works intended for intimate settings

How Small

orchestra
184 3.4
chamber music
8 5.3
quartet
12 3.4
trio
18 3.3
duet
31 3.1
solo
84 3.1

Surface Forms

chamber music singular

Morphology

chamber + music

The meaning 'serious music for a small group performed in an intimate setting' is directly derivable from combining 'chamber' (a private/small room) with 'music' — i.e. music for a chamber or small space. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically (e.g. musique de chambre, Música de cámara) and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Chamber music comes from the old practice of playing music in a chamber, a small room in a house or palace where a few players and listeners sat close together. So the phrase now means 'music for a few instruments in a small, private setting'.