The String Quintet in
E-flat major,
Op. 4, was composed 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 ...
in 1795. It was adapted from his
Octet in E-flat major, Op. 103, which, despite its high opus number, was in fact composed by Beethoven in 1792/1793 but was published only in 1837, ten years after the composer's death. The Quintet was published in Vienna in 1796.
Overview
The quintet has been viewed as a mere transcription of the octet. However, there are a few differences between the two works. In the first movement, there are significant changes in the exposition and substantial ones in the development, recapitulation, and coda. The ensuing Andante employs new themes and involves significant changes in the ones retained. The minuet and finale are also substantially different: among other alterations, a second trio was added to the former and a new alternate theme was inserted in the latter.
Structure and instrumentation
The quintet is structured in four movements:
# ''
Allegro
Allegro may refer to:
Common meanings
* Allegro (music), a tempo marking indicate to play fast, quickly and bright
* Allegro (ballet), brisk and lively movement
Artistic works
* L'Allegro (1645), a poem by John Milton
* ''Allegro'' (Satie), an ...
con brio''
# ''
Andante
Andante may refer to:
Arts
* Andante (tempo), a moderately slow musical tempo
* ''Andante'' (manga), a shōjo manga by Miho Obana
* "Andante" (song), a song by Hitomi Yaida
* "Andante, Andante", a 1980 song by ABBA from ''Super Trouper''
* ' ...
''
# ''
Menuetto:
Allegretto - Trio I & II''
# ''Finale:
Presto''
The work is scored for two
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
s, 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 and
cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...
. A typical performance lasts for about 30 minutes.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
004
Compositions in E-flat major
1795 compositions