Nonet in F Major, Op. 31

Composer: SPOHR, Louis

Quick Facts

  • Written in 1813, while Spohr was living in Vienna
  • Four movements:
    1. Allegro
    2. Scherzo: Allegro
    3. Adagio
    4. Finale: Vivace
  • *A Nonet is a piece written for nine instruments. In this case, the piece is written for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello, and double bass.1

About the Piece

  • In his memoir, Spohr wrote the following about the origin of the piece (Johann Tost was the musician-turned-businessman/ arts patron who commissioned the piece):

“I asked [Tost] which art form he would prefer this time. My artistic patron thought for a while and then answered a nonet, written in concertante style for four string instruments—violin, viola, cello, and double bass—and the five most noble wind instruments—flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon—in such a way that each instrument would be heard in accordance with its essential character, and yet a task that was as interesting as it was thankful….I was spurred on by the challenge, gladly agreed, and immediately set to work.”2

  • The piece was an immediate success at the first performance and played several more times throughout the season and beyond.
  • Fun fact – Spohr’s Nonet was the first (known) piece to use the descriptive title. There had been works written beforehand for nine instruments, but Spohr’s was the first to be distinguished as a “Nonet.”3

Sources

  1. “Nonet, Op.31 (Spohr, Louis),” IMSLP, accessed June 20, 2023, https://imslp.org/wiki/Nonet,Op.31(Spohr,_Louis).
  2. James M. Keller, “Spohr: Nonet in F major for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Double Bass, Opus 31,” San Francisco Symphony (2019), accessed June 20, 2023, https://www.sfsymphony.org/Data/Event-Data/Program-Notes/S/Spohr-Nonet-in-F-major-for-Flute,-Oboe,-Clarinet,.
  3. David Heyes, “Introduction to Louis Spohr and Nonet in F major, Op. 31,” Lifelong Learning Collaborative (2014), accessed June 20, 2023, https://www.lifelonglearningcollaborative.org/philharmonic/spohr-nonet.pdf.

Cut IDs

16216