Editing Chamber music (section)

===From home to hall===

[[File:FortepianoByMcNultyAfterWalter1805.jpg|thumb|upright|Copy of a pianoforte from 1805]]
The turn of the 19th century saw dramatic changes in society and in music technology which had far-reaching effects on the way chamber music was composed and played.

====Collapse of the aristocratic system====

Throughout the 18th century, the composer was normally an employee of an aristocrat, and the chamber music he or she composed was for the pleasure of aristocratic players and listeners.<ref>for a discussion of the effects of social change on music of the 18th and 19th centuries, see {{harvp|Raynor|1978}}.</ref> Haydn, for example, was an employee of [[Nikolaus I, Prince Esterházy]], a music lover and amateur [[baryton]] player, for whom Haydn wrote many of his string trios. Mozart wrote three string quartets for the King of Prussia, [[Frederick William II of Prussia|Frederick William II]], a cellist. Many of Beethoven's quartets were first performed with patron Count [[Andrey Razumovsky]] on second violin. Boccherini composed for the king of Spain.

With the decline of the aristocracy and the rise of new social orders throughout Europe, composers increasingly had to make money by selling their compositions and performing concerts. They often gave subscription concerts, which involved renting a hall and collecting the receipts from the performance. Increasingly, they wrote chamber music not only for rich patrons, but for professional musicians playing for a paying audience.

====Changes in the structure of stringed instruments====
At the beginning of the 19th century, [[luthier]]s developed new methods of constructing the [[violin]], [[viola]] and [[cello]] that gave these instruments a richer tone, more volume, and more carrying power.<ref>David Boyden, "The Violin", pp.&nbsp;31–35, in Sadie (1989).{{incomplete short citation|date=June 2020}}</ref> Also at this time, bowmakers made the violin bow longer, with a thicker ribbon of hair under higher tension. This improved projection, and also made possible new bowing techniques. In 1820, [[Louis Spohr]] invented the chinrest, which gave violinists more freedom of movement in their left hands, for a more nimble technique. These changes contributed to the effectiveness of public performances in large halls, and expanded the repertoire of techniques available to chamber music composers.

====Invention of the pianoforte====
Throughout the [[Baroque music|Baroque era]], the [[harpsichord]] was one of the main instruments used in chamber music. The harpsichord used quills to pluck strings, and it had a delicate sound. Due to the design of the harpsichord, the attack or weight with which the performer played the keyboard did not change the volume or tone. Between about 1750 and the late 1700s, the harpsichord gradually fell out of use. By the late 1700s, the [[pianoforte]] became more popular as an instrument for performance. Even though the pianoforte was invented by [[Bartolomeo Cristofori]] at the beginning of the 1700s, it did not become widely used until the end of that century, when technical improvements in its construction made it a more effective instrument. Unlike the harpsichord, the pianoforte could play soft or loud dynamics and sharp [[sforzando (musical direction)|sforzando]] attacks depending on how hard or soft the performer played the keys.<ref>Cecil Glutton, "The Pianoforte", in Baines (1969).</ref> The improved pianoforte was adopted by Mozart and other composers, who began composing chamber ensembles with the piano playing a leading role. The piano was to become more and more dominant through the 19th century, so much so that many composers, such as [[Franz Liszt]] and [[Frédéric Chopin]], wrote almost exclusively for solo piano (or solo piano with [[orchestra]]).