Quintettsatz in D minor (Beethoven) explained

The Quintettsatz in D minor, Hess 40, is an incomplete composition for a string quintet with two violas by Ludwig van Beethoven. Comprising a completed prelude and an incomplete fugue, 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

• Marston. Nicholas. June 2004. Review: Ludwig van Beethoven, Streichquintette (String Quintets) edited by Sabine Kurth. Nineteenth-Century Music Review. 1. 1. 201–203. 10.1017/S1479409800002081. 191356187. 2016-08-13.
• Book: Kurth, Sabine. Ludwig van Beethoven, Streichquintette (String Quintets). 2002. G. Henle Verlag.

External links

• • Web site: String Quintet Movement in D Minor, Hess 40 (MIDI). The Unheard Beethoven Blog.