The quintet

The quintet is a group of 5 players ot singers. A piano quintet usually adds a piano to the standard string quartet. Perhaps the best known is the nonstandard Schubert's 'Trout' Quintet D 667 for piano, violin, viola, cello and double bass. Other brilliant piano quintets were written by Schumann, Brahms and Dvorak.

Outstanding quintets for piano and wind instruments were written by Mozart (Piano quintet K. 452) and Beethoven (Piano quintet op. 16).

A string quintet adds an extra viola or cello to the string quartet. Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Brahms are the main composers for this type of chamber ensemble.

A clarinet quintet, such as Mozart's Clarinet quintet in A, K. 581 adds a clarinet to the standard string quartet.

Also known since the 19th and 20th centuries is the Wind quintet, which includes five wind instruments, normally flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn. Among the composers who wrote for this ensemble are Hindemith, Schoenberg and Milhaud.

In terms of form, the instrumental quintet will usually be a sonata for five players.

The Piano Quintet

The Wind Quintet