Quintet
Composition for five performers.
What it means
A quintet is a composition for five performers or an ensemble of five players or singers. It belongs to chamber music. The scoring is not fixed, but several types have become established: the string quintet, the piano quintet, the wind quintet and the brass quintet.
Musical use
In the string quintet a string quartet is extended by a second viola (Mozart) or a second cello (Schubert, C major, D 956). The piano quintet combines piano and string quartet, for instance in Robert Schumann (Op. 44, 1842); Franz Schubert's Trout Quintet (D 667) uses a double bass instead. The wind quintet consists of flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon and was shaped in the early 19th century by composers such as Anton Reicha and Franz Danzi.
The quintet should be distinguished from the string quartet (four players) and the sextet (six); the string quintet is a special case of the quintet.
Performance practice
In a quintet you need good agreement, since five voices demand balance. Listen to the other four players and change deliberately between leading and accompanying roles.