In music, a 'nonet' is a composition which requires nine musicians for a performance. The standard 'nonet' scoring is for 'wind quintet', 'violin', 'viola', 'cello', and 'contrabass'. A 'wind quintet' or 'woodwind quintet', is a group of five wind players consist of 'flute', 'oboe', 'clarinet', 'French horn' (or English horn or German double) and 'bassoon'. The French horn is a brass instrument and most often used by players in professional orchestras and bands. English horn in North-America, is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the 'oboe' family. 'Cello' is a bowed string instrument of the violin family. 'Viola' is a string instrument that is slightly larger than a violin and has a lower and deeper sound. 'Contrabass' refers to several musical instruments of very low pitch. 'Double bass' is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed, a string instrument.

In classical nonets, the first work to actually bear the title was Louis Spohr's Grand Nonetto in F major, op.31 (1813), for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello and double bass. Louis Spohr (5 April 1784- 22 October 1859) was a German composer, violinist, and conductor. Spohr's nonet was so successful that its instrumentation became the standard for subsequent emulation down to the present time.

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