(Fr. quintette, quintuor; Ger. Quintett; It. quintetto).
A composition or part of a composition for five voices or instruments, or a group that performs such a composition. Vocal quintets include many madrigals, ballettos and other chamber music for voices of the 16th century when there was a certain preference for five-part writing. With the development of dramatic ensemble writing in opera during the 18th century accompanied quintets became frequent and there are several examples in Mozart’s mature operas, notably Act 1 of Così fan tutte. The most celebrated operatic quintet, however, is ‘Selig, wie die Sonne meines Glückes lacht’ from Act 3 of Wagner’s Die Meistersinger.
The most important chamber music forms are the String quintet (normally for a string quartet of two violins, viola and cello with an additional viola or cello), the Piano quintet (usually for piano and string quartet) and the Wind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn); these repertories are discussed in separate entries (see also Brass quintet). Among works for less regular combinations, Mozart’s great quintet for piano and wind k452 (oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn) set a standard, which has not been surpassed, for the euphonious combination of five diverse timbres, though Beethoven imitated it in his op.16 and Danzi, Spohr and Rimsky-Korsakov wrote for similar combinations. A number of works add a wind instrument to the normal string quartet. For example, there are clarinet quintets by Mozart, Reicha, Weber, Reger, Brahms, Hindemith and Bliss, and a horn quintet (with two violas) by Mozart. Quintets formed from various mixed combinations abound especially in the 18th century. It is known that Mozart greatly admired J.C. Bach’s six quintets of op.11 for flute, oboe, violin, viola and bass which indulge in charming antiphonal effects between the two wind instruments and bass as against the two strings and bass. The same composer’s Quintet in F for oboe, violin, viola, cello and harpsichord, the last sometimes continuo in function, sometimes obbligato, is similarly adept in layout. Mozart’s ability to make almost any combination effective is shown in his quintet for flute, oboe, viola, cello and glass harmonica. Some of this ability apparently passed to his pupil Süssmayr whose quintet for oboe, english horn, violin, cello and guitar is another engaging contribution to the vast miscellany of such works from the 18th century. Of 20th-century mixed quintets Milhaud’s Les rêves de Jacob, Nielsen’s Serenata in vano and Prokofiev’s attractive op.39 for oboe, clarinet, violin, viola and double bass may also be mentioned.
For further information and bibliography see also Chamber music.
MICHAEL TILMOUTH/R