Sextet

A composition for six performers

"Sextet" is a musical ensemble consisting of six musicians or six instruments, working together to perform a piece of music arranged for six distinct parts.

A sextet represents a balanced and harmonious musical ensemble composed of six musicians or instruments. The musical compositions crafted for sextets allocate the music into six distinct voices or sections, with each part contributing to the overall musical texture and expression.

Sextets offer a canvas for diverse sounds, allowing for variations in melody, harmony, and rhythm. The interaction of six different voices generates intricate and dynamic musical textures that lend themselves well to a wide range of musical styles and genres.

The choice of instruments within a sextet can vary based on the composer's vision and the specific musical style being explored. The sextet ensemble format frequently finds its place in chamber music settings, where the close collaboration and interplay among musicians heighten the vibrancy of the performance.

Example of Sextet

Tchaikovsky by Janine Jansen & Friends - Souvenir de Florence

Tutor's Video (Charlie Hung)

Frankie Chan

Frankie Chan

California Baptist University (US), Hong Kong Baptist University
Master
Violin, Western Music Theory
Omarr Cheng

Omarr Cheng

Hong Kong Baptist University
Bachelor (Current)
Classical Vocal, Pop Singing, Musical, Western Music Theory
Gigi Mok

Gigi Mok

Duquesne University (US), Hong Kong Baptist University
Master
French Horn
Kelly Lam

Kelly Lam

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Bachelor
Clarinet
KC Leung

Dr. KC Leung

Boston University (US), Hong Kong Baptist University
Doctor
Violin
Rossano Law

Rossano Law

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (UK), The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Master
Euphonium, Trombone
G Song

G Song by Terry Riley

As an iconic American composer, Terry Riley (born 1935) is always considered as a minimalist. However, this kind of thoughts would be ignoring part of his creativity. In fact, Riley added plenty elements in his compositions since 1970s, especially when he started collaborating with the Kronos Quartet. Riley’s composing style is very extensive, including improvisation, polyrhythm and jazz. He adopted classical elements, such as instrumentation, musical forms, structure and tonality. He also combined the elements from different periods to create unique musical textures. This research focuses on Terry Riley’s String Quartet, G Song. The research will be divided into two parts. The first part introduces Riley’s life and the background of G Song. The second part focuses on music analysis, including the musical structure “Two forms in one work”; The harmony “Unresolved Dissonance”; The rhythm “Metric Modulation”; The baroque “Canon”; The modern “Pointillism”. The purpose of this study is to discuss how Riley combined classicism and modernism into a work, and discuss why the statement “Terry Riley is considered as minimalist” would be ignoring part of his story.
Read the music carefully

Common Practice Guide

After many years of being a student first and a teacher after, we often noticed that in our every day practice we can make small mistakes that may slow us down or might not bring the best out of our music. With these short tips we tried to go through some of them, hoping it will help students (and not only!) in their daily practice.
Pachelbel's Canon

Canon in D

Canon in D, one of the most widely known classical music pieces of contemporary times, is composed by German composer Johann Pachelbel. The original version of Canon in D is composed for three violins, accompanied by one (or more) bass instrument(s). Over time, the piece has been arranged into various versions, such as piano solo and orchestral versions. The exact date of its composition is not recorded but it is generally believed to be composed between 1680-1706.

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