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So you ask what about the string quintet in all this? It is a
form that stands on its own, a virtually non-existent genre
in Germanic music that Mozart reappropriated and took to
towering heights.
Quartets were legion at the time, and not only those by Haydn, yet Italians
were the only oneswho had begun to appreciate the quintet format. Especially
Boccherini, who wrote no fewer than one hundred and fifty! Mozart may have
known a few, although this has not been confirmed. On the other hand, we do
knowwhat the catalyst was for his composing his first
quintet KV174
. He had
access to a
Notturno
in C major, which in reality was a quintet for two violins,
two violas and cello, composed in February 1773 by Michael Haydn, Joseph’s
younger brother, who had just arrived in Salzburg. Emulation once again
played a role here: Wolfgang Amadeus began work on a
Quintet in B flat major
.
There are two versions of this work: After the younger Haydn showed him a
second
Notturno
a fewmonths later, the youthful composer suddenly believed
that he could draw on inspiration, resort to a few devices and do something
even better; he thus rewrote the Trio of the
Minuetto
and reworked the Final.
It goes without saying that his score was an entirely different work than that
of his friend. The opportunities provided by this new formation apparently
were a source of great stimulation for him, as they were for Michael Haydn:
instead of giving the first violin themain role as in a quartet, he could nowplay
on a dialogue between the first violin and the first alto and could multiply the
echoing effects. The work has its beautiful aspects, such as the adagio with
its muted sounds and the Final with its surprise-filled development - the“false
start” of the initial theme, for example. The young composer was visibly having
a good time using the five bows while remaining in the era of gallantry.
This quintet is agreeable and pleasant, as was a great deal of the music that
Amadeus composedwhen he was young.
THE SIX STRING QUINTETS 37