Fourteen years passed between the composition of Mozart’s first quintet for strings and the two colossal works that appeared in 1787—No. 3 in C major and No. 4 in G minor (No. 2, which also appeared that year, was merely a transcription of his earlier Serenade No. 12). Like their predecessor, as well as their two successors that would follow in 1790-91, the 1787 quintets are scored for the usual quartet (two violins, viola, and cello) plus a second viola. It is a somewhat curious choice of instrumentation, no doubt arising out of Mozart’s love for the instrument, which goes against the better suited combination of an added cello found in the works of Boccherini and Schubert. Nevertheless, the C major and G minor Quintets were completed within mere weeks of each other, and were likely conceived as a contrasting pair of works. Indeed, they bear resemblance to another of pair of Mozart’s works that were likewise completed close to each other—the famous G minor Symphony and the “Jupiter” Symphony, also in C major.
Of the C major Quintet, it is a noble work, which Alfred Einstein described as both “godlike and childlike.” In matters of form, it looks forward to works of Beethoven. Indeed, its lengthy first movement is a foreshadowing of the great transformation the sonata form would undergo at the hands of that great master. Likewise, the inversion of the two middle movements, with the Minuet appearing before the slow movement, is reminiscent of a design found often in Beethoven’s work and would become just as standard as the usual ordering during the Romantic period. As for material, the Quintet No. 3 was a source of inspiration for Schubert’s own essay in the genre, also in the grand key of C major, from which he borrowed several key characteristics of Mozart’s work. Concerning the Quintet’s four movements themselves, the first movement and the following Minuet are the most symphonic in proportion. The third movement Andante abounds in the tranquility and gracefulness one expects of Mozart’s music, while the Finale is a superb example of beauty through simplicity.Joseph DuBose
Classical Music | Violin Music
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
String Quintet No. 3 in C Major, K. 515 Play
Recorded on 07/11/2013, uploaded on 12/17/2013
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Fourteen years passed between the composition of Mozart’s first quintet for strings and the two colossal works that appeared in 1787—No. 3 in C major and No. 4 in G minor (No. 2, which also appeared that year, was merely a transcription of his earlier Serenade No. 12). Like their predecessor, as well as their two successors that would follow in 1790-91, the 1787 quintets are scored for the usual quartet (two violins, viola, and cello) plus a second viola. It is a somewhat curious choice of instrumentation, no doubt arising out of Mozart’s love for the instrument, which goes against the better suited combination of an added cello found in the works of Boccherini and Schubert. Nevertheless, the C major and G minor Quintets were completed within mere weeks of each other, and were likely conceived as a contrasting pair of works. Indeed, they bear resemblance to another of pair of Mozart’s works that were likewise completed close to each other—the famous G minor Symphony and the “Jupiter” Symphony, also in C major.
Of the C major Quintet, it is a noble work, which Alfred Einstein described as both “godlike and childlike.” In matters of form, it looks forward to works of Beethoven. Indeed, its lengthy first movement is a foreshadowing of the great transformation the sonata form would undergo at the hands of that great master. Likewise, the inversion of the two middle movements, with the Minuet appearing before the slow movement, is reminiscent of a design found often in Beethoven’s work and would become just as standard as the usual ordering during the Romantic period. As for material, the Quintet No. 3 was a source of inspiration for Schubert’s own essay in the genre, also in the grand key of C major, from which he borrowed several key characteristics of Mozart’s work. Concerning the Quintet’s four movements themselves, the first movement and the following Minuet are the most symphonic in proportion. The third movement Andante abounds in the tranquility and gracefulness one expects of Mozart’s music, while the Finale is a superb example of beauty through simplicity. Joseph DuBose
Allegro
Menuetto: Allegretto
Andante
Allegro
More music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Lacrimosa from Requiem K. 626
Rondo in D Major, K. 485
Soave sia il vento, from Così fan tutte
Hostias from Requiem K.626
Sonata in D Major
Concerto No.21 Do major 2nd moviment
12 Variations in C Major on “Ah, vous dirai-je Maman” K. 265
Benedictus from Requiem K. 626
Piano Concerto 12 KV 414 (1ºmov)
Piano Sonata No. 8 in a minor, K 310
Performances by same musician(s)
String Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 97
Sonata for Violin and Piano
String Quartet No. 6
String Quartet in a minor, Op. 51, No. 2
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