A flute quartet is a musical term for a type of chamber group. They are normally found in two forms: those consisting of a flute, a violin, a viola and a cello and those consisting of four flutes. This last combination often comes in three different but distinct arrangements: Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. ... The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. ... The viola (in French, alto; in German Bratsche) is a string instrument played with a bow. ... The violoncello, almost always abbreviated to cello, or cello (the c is pronounced as the ch in cheese), is a bowed stringed instrument, the lowest-sounding member of the violin family. ... The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ...

Either:

• a group of 4 C flutes; or
• a group of 3 C flutes and Alto flute; or
• a group consisting of 2 C flutes, Alto and Bass flute (this last grouping is the closest comparable equivalent of a string quartet for four flutes).

The alto flute is a type of Western concert flute, a musical instrument in the woodwind family. ... The alto flute is a type of Western concert flute, a musical instrument in the woodwind family. ... A bass flute The bass flute is the bass member of the flute family. ... The resident string quartet of the Library of Congress in 1963 A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string instruments—usually two violins, a viola and cello—or a piece written to be performed by such a group. ...

Works for Flute, Violin, Viola and Cello

The pinnacle of this type of chamber music is generally believed to have been reached in the 1800s. Notable works for flute quartets consisting of a flute, violin, viola and cello include those by the following composers: Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1805 - 1815). ... The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. ... The viola (in French, alto; in German Bratsche) is a string instrument played with a bow. ... The violoncello, almost always abbreviated to cello, or cello (the c is pronounced as the ch in cheese), is a bowed stringed instrument, the lowest-sounding member of the violin family. ...

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - 4 flute quartets - No.1 in D major (K 285), No. 2 in G major (K 285a), No. 3 in C major (K 285b) and No. 4 in A major (K 298)
• Johann Christian Bach
• Christian Cannabich
• Domenico Cimarosa
• Franz Danzi
• François Devienne
• Adalbert Gyrowetz
• Josef Haydn
• Franz Krommer
• Friedrich Kuhlau
• Ignaz Pleyel
• Anton Reicha

Gioacchino Rossini also transcribed 6 of his 'Sonate a quattro' (originally for strings). Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (IPA: , baptized Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart) (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. ... Johann Christian Bach (September 5, 1735 – January 1, 1782) was a composer of the Classical era, the eleventh and youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach. ... Johann Christian Innocenz Bonaventura Cannabich (bapt. ... Domenico Cimarosa (December 17, 1749-January 11, 1801), Italian opera composer, was born at Aversa, in the kingdom of Naples. ... Franz Ignaz Danzi (June 15, 1763 - April 13, 1826) was a German composer and conductor, the son of a noted Italian cellist. ... François Devienne (1759 -1803) François Devienne (January 31, 1759 - September 5, 1803) was a French composer and professor for flute at the Paris Conservatory. ... Adalbert Gyrowetz (1763 - 1850), was an Austrian composer. ... (Franz) Joseph Haydn (in German, Josef; he never used the Franz) (March 31, 1732 – May 31, 1809) was a leading composer of the classical period. ... Franz Krommer (lang-cz: FrantiÅ¡ek Vincenc Kramář) (November 27, 1759 – January 8, 1831) was a Moravian composer of classical music, whose seventy-year life began the year of the death of George Frideric Handel and ended a few years after that of Ludwig van Beethoven. ... Friedrich Daniel Rudolf Kuhlau (September 11, 1786 - March 12, 1832) was a German composer during the Classical Period. ... Ignace Joseph Pleyel Ignace Pleyel (June 18, 1757–November 14, 1831) was a French Austrian-born composer of the Classical period. ... Anton Reichas monument at Père Lachaise, Paris Anton (or Antonin or Antoine) Reicha (or Rejcha) (February 26, 1770 – May 28, 1836) was a Czech-born naturalized French composer, a flautist in his youth, and an influential theorist. ... Portrait Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (February 29, 1792 – November 13, 1868)[1] was an Italian musical composer who wrote more than 30 operas as well as sacred music and chamber music. ...

In the first decades of the 1900s the string quartet became far more important than flute quartets and so very few works were composed until the 20th century. Until the works of Volkmar Andreae (quartet Op. 43) and Gottfried von Einem (quartet Op. 85), the 20th Century was also rather lacking in compositions of this type. // First flight by the Wright brothers, December 17, 1903. ... The resident string quartet of the Library of Congress in 1963 A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string instruments—usually two violins, a viola and cello—or a piece written to be performed by such a group. ... The 20th Century saw a revolution in music as the radio gained popularity worldwide. ... Volkmar Andreae (July 5, 1879 in Bern - June 19, 1962 in Zürich) was a Swiss conductor and composer. ... Gottfried von Einem (1918–) was an Austrian composer living in Germany. ...

Works for 4 Flutes

19th Century

Works for four flutes were particularly popular in the turn of the 19th century (from the 1800s to 1900). Some of the most well-known from this time might include the compositions of Friedrich Kuhlau (quartet in E major) and Anton Reicha (quartets Op. 12, Op. 19). Further quartets came from, for example, Friedrich Hartmann Graf, Anton Bernhard Fuerstenau and Luigi Gianella. Friedrich Daniel Rudolf Kuhlau (September 11, 1786 - March 12, 1832) was a German composer during the Classical Period. ... Anton Reichas monument at Père Lachaise, Paris Anton (or Antonin or Antoine) Reicha (or Rejcha) (February 26, 1770 – May 28, 1836) was a Czech-born naturalized French composer, a flautist in his youth, and an influential theorist. ...

20th Century

In the 20th century quartets with 4 flutes experienced a one-century Renaissance. Examples of some works from the early 20th century include those of Eugène Bozza (Jour d'été à la montagne), Florent Schmitt (quartet Op. 106), Josef Lauber (vision de Corse Op. 54), Marc Berthomieu (Arcadie), Joseph Jongen (Elégie Op. 114,3) and Alexander Tscherepnin (Quartet Op. 60). The Renaissance (French for rebirth, or Rinascimento in Italian), was a cultural movement in Italy (and in Europe in general) that began in the late Middle Ages, and spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. ... Eugène Joseph Bozza (4 April 1905 – 28 September 28 1991) was a French composer. ... Florent Schmitt (September 28, 1870, Blamont, Meurthe et Moselle – August 17, 1958 Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a French composer. ... Joseph Jongen (December 14, 1873–July 12, 1953) was a Belgian organist, composer, and music educator. ...

The late 20th Century saw a new revival for the flute quartet.

• Peter Bacchus Quartet for Diverse Flutes
• R. Murray Schafer Five Studies on Texts by Prudentius (for four flutes and soprano).
• Daniel Theaker Flute Quartets 1-3.

Members of the Western concert flute family
Piccolo • Treble flute • Soprano flute • Concert flute • Flûte d'amour • Alto flute • Bass flute • Contra-alto flute • Contrabass flute • Subcontrabass flute • Double contrabass flute • Hyperbass flute