Classical chamber music has had a long and fascinating history. From its roots in medieval songs and instrumental "consorts," through centuries of change at the hands of the great names of European music — Bach, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, and later Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, Debussy, and a host of modernists and contemporaries.
Chamber music instrumentation followed the evolution of European classical music. In medieval times, string instruments accompanied singers. In the Baroque era, small ensembles combined dance movements with quiet interludes and led to the invention of the trio sonata.
In the Classical era, Austrian composer FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN focused on the string quartet and trios featuring the newly invented pianoforte. Haydn is credited with creating the intimate, conversational style of musical interaction that defines what we now call chamber music.
The late 20th century brought a new musical consciousness for minimalist, ambient and contemplative music, employing both traditional acoustic and electronic instruments, enhanced by studio techniques of sound manipulation.
Ambient chamber music differs from the historical forms: it's consistently slow, often repetitive, environmental, reverberant, and meditative. And while it may still use traditional acoustic instruments, the focus is not on the musical conversation, but creating a contemplative soundscape that patiently leads the listener into deeper levels of musical experience.
On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, ambient chamber music by some of the very best of the genre, on a program called CHAMBERS OF THE HEART 3. Music is by MAX RICHTER, LUDOVICO EINAUDI, HILDUR GUÐNADÓTTIR, OLAFUR ARNALDS, BEN LUKAS BOYSEN, and RYUICHI SAKAMOTO & FENNESZ.
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