Chamber Music (poetry collection)

Chamber Music is a collection of thirty-six poems by James Joyce, first published in May 1907 by Elkin Mathews in London. The title is believed to allude to the intimate, private nature of the poems, perhaps even to a specific chamber pot, suggesting a level of domestic and private experience. The poems are largely love lyrics, exploring themes of courtship, desire, and separation. They are notable for their simplicity and musicality, reflecting Joyce's interest in music and his intention to set some of them to music himself (which he later did).

The poems are characterized by their use of conventional rhyme schemes and meter, often drawing on traditional ballad forms. While formally conventional, Chamber Music reveals Joyce's early exploration of themes that would later become central to his more complex and experimental prose works, such as the nature of love, the complexities of human relationships, and the search for meaning in everyday life. The collection is considered an early example of Joyce's literary talent and offers insight into his artistic development. Despite its relatively simple style, Chamber Music remains a significant work in Joyce's oeuvre and is often studied for its lyrical qualities and thematic foreshadowing.