A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Sestet

by Frederick Corder

SESTET or SEXTET (Fr. Sextuor; Ital. Sestetto). A composition for six instruments, or six voices, with or without accompaniment.

Instrumental sestets are of two kinds; those for strings only, which belong to the same class as string quartets and quintets, being monochromes in six real parts, and those for various combinations of strings, wind and pianoforte, which belong to the class of pianoforte quartets etc., and may be regarded as miniature symphonies. The first of these two classes is, naturally, but rarely met with, six-part harmony not being easy to write; but the few examples we have are striking ones. We may pass over Haydn's solitary specimen, called an 'Echo,' for 4 violins and 2 cellos, and mention only that of Spohr, in C (op. 140), a charming work; the two immortal compositions of Brahms (B♭, op. 18; G, op. 36), which stand at the head of modern chamber-music; the Sextet of Raff, op. 178, in G minor; and that of Dvorshak, recently introduced into England. Raff's work deserves more than a passing word, being one of that composer's most carefully written productions. It is a veritable triumph of counterpoint; not only is the labour of 6-part writing never for a moment shirked, but every device of imitation and canon is lavishly expended. One canon of 6 in 3 in the variations is particularly happy.

All the above are for 2 violins, 2 violas and 2 cellos. Turning now to the second and more comprehensive class, we find a few more in point of number but none of much artistic value. The prolific Boccherini wrote sixteen, Haydn one, Mozart only the 'Musical Joke.' Beethoven's Sestet for Strings and 2 obligate Horns (op. 81b) is interesting, but unfortunately impracticable for modern players.^[1] His Sestet for Wind Instruments, op. 71 (for 2 clarinets, 2 horns, and 2 bassoons, in E♭), is an early work and little known. Beethoven himself mentions it in a letter of August 8, 1809, as 'one of my earlier things, and not only that, but written in a single night; perhaps the only thing in its favour is that it is the work of an author who has at least brought forward better works—though for many such works are the best.' (Nohl's Neue Briefe, No. 53.) Sterndale Bennett's Sestet for Piano and Strings a very early work (op. 8) is an elegant pianoforte piece with an unimportant though often picturesque accompaniment for strings, in which the piano has, perhaps, an undue share of work. Onslow left 2 sestets—ops. 30 and 77 bis.

It should be noticed that the sestets and quintets of Reicha and other composers, when written for wind instruments only, are practically quartets, one or more of the instruments taking a rest in turn.

[ F. C. ]

1. A 1st Horn part is in existence, on which Beethoven has written '6tet of mine, God knows where the other parts are.' The slow movement has been adapted to voices as 'The Vesper Hymn,' and had a wide popularity in 'Orpheus.'