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Why Unusual Combinations Are Worth the Effort

There is a particular pleasure in playing chamber music that no one else seems to play. The standard canon of string quartets, piano trios and wind quintets is wonderful, but the repertoire was shaped as much by what publishers thought would sell as by what composers wanted to write. If you have found yourself assembling a clarinet, a viola and a piano, or perhaps a flute, a bassoon and a harp, you already know the feeling: the sound world is distinctive, the balance is intriguing, and the music is surprisingly hard to find.

The good news is that the search itself can be rewarding, and there are well-trodden routes that experienced players use when a combination falls outside the ordinary. Patience is the watchword, but so is knowing where to look.

Start With the Obvious Catalogues

The first port of call for any unusual combination should be a printed or online music catalogue held by a specialist dealer, but do not expect the search box to understand "clarinet, viola and piano". Catalogue entries are often written for a single instrument, or they describe the work rather than the forces. Try searching for each instrument separately and then cross-referencing.

• Composer-led searching: Brahms wrote two clarinet sonatas that sit happily with viola, and his horn trio can be adapted. Reger, Bruch and Schumann all wrote for combinations that hover around the edges of the standard repertoire.
• Arrangement-led searching: Many publishers issue transcriptions of well-known works for flexible ensemble, and these are often listed under "mixed ensemble" rather than by instrumentation.
• Difficulty-led searching: If you are playing for pleasure, a graded catalogue will flag works that suit your level, whatever the scoring.

It also helps to learn the vocabulary. On the continent, publishers often use terms such as Gemischte Besetzung or musique de chambre with a description of forces, and these can unlock listings that English-language searches miss.

Library Catalogues Are Your Best Kept Secret

Public and university music libraries hold huge quantities of chamber music that is out of print. The British Library's catalogue and the major conservatoire libraries are searchable online, and many hold sets of parts as well as scores. A reference librarian who knows the chamber music collection is worth their weight in gold: explain your combination, your standard, and roughly what you are looking for, and you may be surprised what appears.

Interlibrary loan is still alive and well, and many libraries will photocopy a single movement or a part for study. Some will also let you borrow sets for performance, subject to condition and copyright. If you are near a conservatoire, ask whether visiting musicians can consult the collection; the answer is often yes.

Do check the condition of old parts before you rely on them. A brittle set from the 1920s may need careful handling, and bowings pencilled in by a previous borrower can be a help or a hindrance.

Ask Your Tutor, Your Peers and Your Local Society

Word of mouth remains the most reliable way to find rarities. A clarinet tutor who has taught for twenty years will have a mental map of the repertoire and will often lend you a score from a personal shelf. The same is true of viola players, who are used to transposing and to making the best of whatever is on offer.

Local chamber music societies, summer courses and amateur orchestras are full of people who have faced your problem before. A message to a society newsletter or a post on a noticeboard in a music shop can turn up a photocopy, a recommendation or a willing arranger. When you borrow something, return it promptly and in good condition, and note who lent it to you; that courtesy keeps the informal network alive.

If you are at a conservatoire or university, ask the composition department. A student composer may be delighted to write for your combination, and the result will be entirely playable and entirely yours.

Public Domain Archives and the Free Repertoire

A great deal of chamber music is now in the public domain and available through major digitised collections. These are genuinely useful for unusual forces, because they include the full printed output of composers whose publishers have long since ceased trading.

• Digitised scores and parts: Many national libraries and university projects have scanned complete editions. Search by composer and opus number rather than by instrumentation.
• Historical anthologies: Nineteenth-century collections of Hausmusik or salon pieces often include trios and quartets for odd groupings, written for domestic performance.
• Transcriptions: Baroque and Classical works were routinely arranged for whatever instruments were to hand. Some of these arrangements are now in the public domain and can be freely copied.

Read the licence conditions carefully. Public domain status applies to the composition, but a modern typesetting or a new edition may carry its own copyright, even if the underlying music is free. When in doubt, ask the holding institution.

Commissioning a New Arrangement

If nothing suitable exists, commissioning an arrangement is often more affordable than people assume. A skilled arranger can work from a score you already own, transposing and rebalancing for your combination, and the result will be tailored to your abilities. Expect to pay a fair fee and to agree a clear brief: which work, which movement, what standard, and whether the arrangement is for one performance or for your permanent library.

Before commissioning, check whether a suitable arrangement already exists. A quick enquiry to a specialist dealer or a library can save you money and an awkward conversation. If you do commission, ask for a clean score and a set of parts, and consider offering the arranger a recording or a performance in return for a reduced fee. Many are glad of the exposure.

Above all, keep a record of what you find. A personal index of works, sources and lenders will save you hours next season, and it may be the thing a fellow player most needs when they come to you with the same question.