Classical Music | Ensemble Music

Recorded on 04/15/2008, uploaded on 01/09/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Flute Quartet No. 1 in D Major               Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Allegro; Adagio-Rondeau

Mozart completed his Quartet for Flute and Strings in D Major, K. 285 in 1777 for wealthy amateur musician Ferdinand De Jean. The piece was commissioned as part of a series of works which was to contain six quartets and four concertos. Mozart's frustration with his wealthy patron was evident in his letter to his father dated February 14, 1778, in which he writes: "[Y]ou know that I become quite powerless whenever I am obliged to write for an instrument I cannot bear." This comment sparked much discussion over Mozart's supposed dislike for the flute, but it is likely that the composer was reacting more to his distaste for De Jean himself, and to the "short and simple" compositions he requested.

Nonetheless, this first and most substantial of the flute quartets is a light-spirited work that contains beautiful idiomatic writing for the instrument. The first movement showcases Mozart's gift for dialogue and color in traditional sonata-allegro form. The second movement, described by musicologist Alfred Einstein as "suffused with the sweetest melancholy," goes directly into a sprightly third movement rondo. The light, airy texture of this piece has inspired Fifth House to program it in intimate settings, including Isabella Café and Julius Meinl Café.        Fifth House Ensemble

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.