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Glite Dictionary
🎤 Eight musicians 💾 Group of eight 🎼 Music for eight
octet

octet

6.7
A piece of music written for eight players
  • noun
  • /ɑkˈtɛt/
translation icon : octeto
  • We gathered eight talented musicians to create a unique octet for our performance.
  • Mendelssohn's Octet
  • String Octet

Examples

  • Beethoven's Octet in E-flat, op. 103, is another traditional woodwind octet.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The concert will feature a stunning octet composed for strings and winds.

  • Beethoven's Octet in E-flat, op. 103, is another traditional woodwind octet.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Mendelssohn's Octet for Strings in E-flat, op. 20, is for the most ambitious students who wish to learn a staple of the chamber music repertoire.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Mozart's octet showcases the harmonious interplay between its eight instruments.

Synonyms

octette
vsoctet
  • UK
8.8

A piece of music for eight instruments or voices

is for eight performers specifically rather than listing instruments
octavarium
vsoctet
  • Archaic
9.9

A piece of music written for eight voices or parts

is for eight performers rather than for voices or parts

How Condensed

piano reduction
  • Specialized
7.5
piano transcription
  • Specialized
5.3
octet
6.7

Surface Forms

octet singular
octets plural

Morphology

octet = eight (semi-transparent) = oct + et

Built from the bound combining form 'oct-' plus '-et' to indicate a set of eight performers; because 'oct-' is not a standalone modern English form, the morphological pieces may be only partly obvious to learners.

Etymology

The word octet comes from the part oct- meaning 'eight' and the ending -et meaning 'a small group', so an octet can mean a musical piece written for 'eight' performers.