String Quintet (Schubert)

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The String Quintet in C major, D. 956, op. posth. 163, is a piece of chamber music written by Franz Schubert. It was composed shortly after his Ninth Symphony during the summer of 1828, two months before his death. The Quintet was first performed in 1850 and published in 1853.

The work holds the distinction of being the only full-fledged string quintet in Schubert's vast repertoire. It also stands out for its unconventional instrumentation by employing two cellos instead of the usual solo. Most other string quintets follow the tradition of Mozart and call for an ensemble consisting of the four standard instruments of the string quartet (two violins, viola, and cello) and a second viola. Schubert decided to replace the additional viola with a second cello that would balance out the rest of the ensemble with its lower tonal range.

The work comes in four movements which take just under an hour to perform.

Allegro ma non troppo
Adagio
Scherzo. Presto – Trio. Andante sostenuto
Allegretto

The second movement with its slightly plaintive mood makes it popular as background music for pensive or nocturnal scenes in film. Examples include the 1989 Nocturne Indien, the 2001 film Conspiracy, and the 2003 film The Human Stain. Also Episode 21 from the Inspector Morse television series (Dead on Time) draws extensively from this string quintet, as do certain episodes in Desmond Morris' BBC series The Human Animal.

Maestro Arthur Rubinstein requested the second movement be played at his funeral.

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