Beethoven’s legendary septet is written for clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello, and double bass. Beethoven combines the winds and strings in two ways. In some sections, he divides the ensemble into two groups, each with a leader. Thus, the strings are led by the violin and the winds by the clarinet. As a result, the septet often sounds like a chamber concerto for two instruments. In other sections, Beethoven allows each of the instruments, with one exception, to express its characteristic tone quality through solo passages. The exception is the double bass, which is used throughout to provide a harmonic foundation.