In music, an octet is a musical ensemble consisting of eight instruments or a musical composition written for it. Music is an art, entertainment, or other human activity which involves organized and audible sound, though definitions vary. ... A musical ensemble is, by definition, a group of three or more musicians who gather to perform music. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ...

The two best known octets in classical music are probably those by Felix Mendelssohn (which is for a double string quartet) and Franz Schubert (which is for clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello, and double bass). Igor Stravinsky also wrote an octet for wind instruments (an unusual grouping of flute, clarinet, two bassoons, two trumpets, and two trombones) and Paul Hindemith wrote a lesser known piece for clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, two violas, cello, and double bass. Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly 1000 to the present day. ... Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy at the age of thirty Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, known generally as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3, 1809 – November 4, 1847) was a German composer of the early Romantic period. ... 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. ... Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (January 31, 1797 – November 19, 1828), was an Austrian composer, considered the last master of the Viennese Classical school and one of the earliest proponents of musical Romanticism. ... A bass clarinet, which sounds an octave lower than the more common B♭ soprano clarinet. ... A Fox Instruments bassoon. ... The horn is a brass instrument that consists of tubing wrapped into a coiled form. ... The violin is a bowed stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart, the lowest being the G just below middle C. It is the smallest and highest-tuned member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello. ... The viola (in French, alto; in German Bratsche) is a stringed musical instrument which serves as the middle voice of the violin family, between the upper lines played by the higher violin (soprano register) and the lower lines played by the deeper cello (bass) and double bass. ... A cello The cello (often formally referred to as the violoncello) is a stringed instrument and a member of the violin family. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... Igor Stravinsky in his middle ages. ... A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube), in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator. ... The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... The trumpet is the highest brass instrument in register other than the cornet, its above the horn, trombone, euphonium, and tuba. ... A lip-reed aerophone with a predominantly cylindrical bore, the trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... Paul Hindemith (first name pronounced pah-ool)(November 16, 1895 – December 28, 1963) was a German composer, violist, teacher, theorist and conductor. ...

"Octet" is also rarely (and strangely) used as a name for a vocal performing group, not necessarily of eight members, as proven by the Glens Falls High School Octet in New York State. This particular group has forty-nine (49) members.

Saxophonist David Murray leads a famous experimental jazz octet, the David Murray Octet. David Murray Live in Warsaw, Poland, in April 2003 David Murray (born 1955 in Oakland, California, United States) is a notable jazz musician. ...

See also

• Octet definition according to Steve Reich