The Quintettsatz in D minor,
Hess 40, is an incomplete composition for
string quintet with two
viola
The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...
s by
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
. Comprising a completed
prelude
Prelude may refer to:
Music
*Prelude (music), a musical form
*Prelude (band), an English-based folk band
*Prelude Records (record label), a former New York-based dance independent record label
*Chorale prelude, a short liturgical composition for ...
and an incomplete
fugue
In music, a fugue () is a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the c ...
, it was composed in 1817 around the same time as the
Fugue for String Quintet in D major, Op. 137.
Background
From surviving manuscripts, it appears that Beethoven first started work on the quintet around 1815, with sketches of the fugue being found amongst sketches for the
Ninth Symphony.
It is unclear at this time if Beethoven completed the work.
Structure
The composition, which takes around three minutes to perform, is structured as a single movement marked ''
Adagio - Allegro''.
References
;Note
;Sources
*
*
External links
*
*
H040
1817 compositions
Compositions in D minor
Compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven published posthumously
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