The future of chamber music...(?)


Chamber music has always been the most exclusive area in art music. Just look at the name: music, meant to be played in a small room, perhaps even under private circumstances. In the classical aera chamber music was often used as a medium for formal or aesthetic experiments. Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven wrote some of their most radical and experimental pieces for such small ensembles. But then, afterwards, they carried with them the most significant results from their ”laboratories” and implemented them in the ”great” public tradition – in operas, symphonies, church music, oratories, wherever they might catch a greater audience.


Today the situation is different. Chamber music has become a genre of its own. And it has become the genre of contemporary music. Very few composers of today have regular contact with the major music institutions, so there is no longer a forum for presenting the results for a main audience.


Unfortunately it seems to me that many contemporary composers feel quite satisfied with this. They enjoy living in this splendid isolation, as long as no-one disturbs them – and they can keep up governmental support...

John Frandsen in a lecture at

Seinäjoki Chamber Music Contest, Finland. Nov. 2004

Kammermusik chamber music

Strygere strings


String Song (1980)

strygekvartet nr. 1 string quartet no. 1


Danse Macabre (1991)

strygekvartet nr. 2 string quartet no. 2


Playtime (2007)

for strygerorkester string orchestra


Saturday Night Blues (2012)

for strygerorkester string orchestra


Penelopeia (2015)

strygekvartet nr. 3 string quartet no. 3


Berceuse (2018)

for strygekvartet for string quartet



Blæsere winds


Avers/revers (1985)

blæserkvintet nr. 1 wind quintet no. 1


De/cadences (1987)

blæserkvintet nr. 2 wind quintet no. 2


Weekend (1992)

messingkvintet brass quintet



Store kammerensembler larger chamber ensembles


Amalie suite (1985)

for kammerensemble chamber ensemble

fl.ob.cl.fag.cor.perc.2vl.vla.vlc.cb.


Variations on a Falling Star (1996)

for kammerensemble chamber ensemble

fl.cl.gui.perc.cemb.vl.vlc.


Postcard from EGOLAND (2015)

for kammerensemble chamber ensemble

fl.ob.cl.fag.cor.strings


Dionysos (2016)

for kammerensemble chamber ensemble

fl.cl.fag.arpa.pno.vl.vla.vlc.


Uroligt Requiem (2019)

for kontratenor og sinfonietta counter tenor and sinfonietta

fl.ob.cl.fag.cor.trp.tbn.perc.arpa.pno.2vl.vla.vlc.cb.




Små kammerensembler small chamber groups


Battue for Three (1990) percussion trio


HighLight (1992) for fløjte og guitar flute & guitar


Twilight (1992) for guitar duo


Song of the Sea (1993)

for obo (saxofon/fløjte) og orgel oboe (or sax/flute) & organ


Tivoli (1993) for blokfløjte, violin, cello og cembalo recorder, violin, cello and harpsichord


Tre danse (1994) for guitarkvartet guitar quartet


Sleepwalker’s Tapdance (1995)

for viola, fagot og guitar viola, bassoon & guitar


Step by Step (1997)

for fløjte, violin og guitar flute, violin & guitar


Nocturnal Procession (2001) for guitar duo


Lørdagsvariationer (2005) for guitarkvartet guitar quartet


Ménage à trois (2009)

for blokfløjte, sax og percussion recorder,sax and percussion


Carrousel (2012)

for accordion duo


Aiolos (2015)

for fløjte og strygekvartet flute and string quartet


Kaleidoscope (2015)

for cello og (prepareret) klaver cello and (prepared) piano


Sisyfos (2015)

for accordion og cembalo accordion and harpsichord


Barock'n Roll (2018)

Fransk suite for fløjte, klarinet,klaver og cello

French Suite for flute. clarinet, piano and cello


Martyriet Suite (2018)

for blokfløjter, accordion, cello og bouzouki

recorders, accordion, cello and bouzouki

Afrodite (2024)

for fløjte og klaver flute and piano




Vokal solo og kammerensemble

vocal solo with chamber ensemble


White shadows (1993) - text: Pia Tafdrup

mezzo og kammerensemble mezzo and chamber ensemble

MS.pno.perc.vla.cb.


To Søren Kierkegaard sange (1997)

for sopran, fløjte, cello, akkordeon

soprano, flute, cello, accordion


Skyggespil (1990/2009) - text: Henrik Nordbrandt

for baryton, fløjte, klarinet, guitar, accordeon, cello

for barytone, flute, clarinet, guitar, accordion, cello




Fra denne side kan du finde partiturer i pdf-format, lytte til uddrag, eller læse værknoter og anmeldelser af John Frandsens kammermusik.

Programnoter, tekster og anmeldelser af nogle af værkerne kan findes her.

En del værker er udkommet på

Edition S eller Edition WH – nodematerialer til disse titler fås ved henvendelse til forlagene.

Du er altid velkommen til at sende

en mail til jf@JohnFrandsen.eu

hvis du ønsker yderligere materiale eller oplysninger om musikken.




From this page you can download scores, listen to samples or read program notes and reviews of

John Frandsen’s chamber music.

Programme notes, texts etc. to some of the works can be found here.

Some works have been published by Edition S or Edition WH  – please contact them for performance material.

Most of the program notes are only available in Danish.

Feel free to send an e-mail to jf@JohnFrandsen.eu  

if you need an English version -

or if you want performance parts or

any further information.




Variations on a Fallen Star

Ensemble 2000

Morten Ryelund, dirigent