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THE SIX STRING QUINTETS 39
Perhaps he preferred chamber music, given that small
formations were easier to organize and to convince to
play. That may be, but why quintets? Probably Mozart had
temporarily exhausted all possibilities for the quartet
after the six dedicated to Haydn. He wanted to move onto
something else. We can suppose that he recalled the pleasure
he experienced while tackling his first quintet and writing
for the five instruments.
One of the three quintets written in 1787 is somewhat marginal. It
may have the
KV406
or 516b reference, but it is only a transcription.
Mozart was striving to complete three works. Somewhat short
on time, he chose to adapt an old score that had presented some
intriguing problems when writing it, given the difficulty in reducing
the
Serenade for wind instruments KV388
to five bows. Written five years
earlier, in C minor for two oboes, two clarinets, two French horns
and two bassoons, it was notable for its dark character, reduced
dimension (four movements) and minor key in comparison to more
amusing standard open-air serenades. Mozart was determined,
however, and looked for solutions to resolve the thorny problems it
posed - such as when the cello takes on both French horn parts and
both bassoon parts on its own! Nonetheless, this strange quintet
has some interesting features: Its serious aspect, expressive density,
unusual minuet written in rounds with a trio featuring canons written
in
renversements
, and the final so fleetingly reminiscent of
Don Giovanni
make it a work that is anything but minor.