septets

Septet is a term used in various fields to denote a group of seven items or entities. In music, a septet is a composition for seven performers or a piece designed for seven instruments or voices. The term derives from Latin septem, meaning seven, and entered musical usage in the 18th and 19th centuries as composers wrote works for seven players. A septet may involve a mix of winds and strings or a dedicated chamber ensemble. Performance practice treats septets as intimate chamber works, with the seven parts often woven as equal lines rather than a standard chord-based texture.

A well-known example is Ludwig van Beethoven's Septet in E-flat major, Op. 20, composed around 1800, scored for clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello, and double bass. Other composers wrote septets or pieces labeled as septets, contributing to the repertory of wind and mixed-ensemble chamber music.

In general usage, septet can also refer to any group of seven items or individuals, not limited to music. The term is less common in everyday prose than sextet or nonet but appears in scholarly, historical, and program-note contexts. Related terms include sextet for six, octet for eight, and nonet for nine; septet sits among these designations to describe seven-part combinations in both music and general description.