(Fr. sextette, sextuor; Ger. Sextett; It. sestetto).
By analogy with the septet, octet and nonet, the term ‘sextet’, first used at the beginning of the 19th century, denotes a composition in the nature of chamber music for six instruments. It was obviously used to define the sextet more precisely in relation to functional music such as the divertimento (usually with two horns and string quartet) and Harmoniemusik for wind ensemble (2 oboes, 2 horns, 2 bassoons). Beethoven published his own compositions in these genres as sextets (op.81b, 1794, and op.71, 1796, both published 1810). At a later period, works for six wind instruments were written by Carl Reinecke (op.271, c1905) and Janáček (Mládí, 1924).
The string sextet (2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos) developed into a genre in the stricter sense in the middle of the 19th century. Despite some earlier compositions – by Boccherini (op.23, 1776) Luigi Arditi (Sestetto di bravura, 1843), Spohr (op.140, 1848) and Borodin (1860–61, unfinished) – it was the two ingenious works by Johannes Brahms (op.18, 1860, and op.36, 1864–5) that really inspired many composers to write for the same ensemble. These composers included Niels Gade (op.44, 1863), Ernst Rudorff (op.5, 1865), Louis von Stainlein (op.20, 1867), Joachim Raff (op.178, 1872), Rimsky-Korsakov (1876), Anton Rubinstein (op.97, 1876), Dvořák (op.48, 1878), Nicolay von Wilm (op.27, 1882), Tchaikovsky (Souvenir de Florence op.70, 1890), Louis Glass (op.15, 1892), Schoenberg (Verklärte Nacht op.4, 1899), Hakon Břrresen (op.5, 1901), Glier (op.1, 1900, op.7, 1902, and op.11, 1906), Bridge (1906–12), Reger (op.118, 1910), Korngold (op.10, 1914–16), Egon Kornauth (op.25, 1918–19), Schulhoff (1920–24), d'Indy (op.92, 1927), Martinů (1932), Kagel (1953, rev. 1957) and Walter Piston (1964).
The piano sextets with strings popular in the first half of the 19th century (for an ensemble consisting of piano, string quartet and double bass) are notable for a more brilliant, concertante style in which the keyboard instrument is often at the centre of the music. Outstanding works for this combination were written by Ferdinand Ries (op.100, 1820), Mendelssohn (op.110, 1824, published 1868), Henri Bertini (opp.79, 85, 90, 114, 124 and 172), Glinka (1832), William Sterndale Bennett (op.8, 1835), Paul Juon (op.22, 1902) and Albert Roussel (Divertissement op.6, 1906). There are piano sextets with wind by Martinů (1929), Henk Badings (1931) and Poulenc (1932–9), and for mixed ensembles by Ignaz Moscheles (op.35, 1815), Georges Onslow (op.30, 1825) and Ernő Dohnányi (op.37, 1935). In addition, a small separate repertory for an ensemble consisting of clarinet, string quartet and piano developed in the 20th century, comprising works by Prokofiev (Overture on Hebrew Themes op.34, 1919), Felix Petyrek (1922), Roy Harris (Concerto, 1926), Copland (1937), Karl Schiske (1937) and Pfitzner (op.55, 1945).
It seems doubtful to extend the term ‘sextet’ to works that require six musicians, their texture is not obviously that of chamber music, and sometimes the titles of the works themselves point in other directions, as in the case of Chausson (Concert op.21, 1892), Milhaud (Chamber Symphony no.6 op.79, 1923, for four voices, oboe and cello), Martinů (La revue de cuisine, 1927), Falla (Harpsichord Concerto, 1923–6), Stockhausen (Kreuzspiel, 1951) and Morton Feldman (Durations V, 1961).
In opera, ensembles with six solo singers have also sometimes been described as sextets, and occur chiefly in finales.
For bibliography see Chamber music.
MICHAEL KUBE