In the long run, any words about music are less important than the music.
- Dmitri Shostakovich
Back at UNT, I think my favorite ensemble to write for was woodwind quintet. Ok, not quite true. Orchestra was my favorite, but since it was nigh impossible to assemble a full orchestra to get a piece read or performed, woodwind quintet came in as a close second. String and brass chamber ensembles were alright, but I found them limiting by comparison. I mean, a viola sounds like a slightly lower violin, and a cello a lower still extension of the same instrument. Brass instruments have a little more distinct character to them, but lack subtlety.
This is another shorter work – five movements adding up to a grand total just a hair over 13 minutes. Apologies if my comments seem brief as a result. However, as this is such a short work, it was easier to find video clips for those interested. (Disclaimer: as I wrote this I was listening to a recording by the Westwood Quintet, as linked to above, not these same performances. But I did manage to get clips of one performance by the same ensemble throughout. The last two movements, however are incorrectly labeled on the Youtube titles.)
Listening to Hindemith’s quintet reminds me of why I fell in love with this medium. Beginning with the opening of the first movement, the instruments play with each other in the truest sense of the word. The clarinet, flute and oboe all take the spotlight from time to time and the interplay between them is lighthearted and fun. Hindemith’s tonality is present, but not always diatonic, his counterpoint lighter than many of his contemporaries.
The second movement is a waltz at its simplest, with the bassoon and horn carrying most of the rhythmic elements. The bassoon occasionally steps into the limelight for some nice cadenzettas, but holds down the fort so to speak more often than not. The third section begins with an eerie flute and clarinet duet; if I didn’t know any better, I would assume it were two flutes. After a soft lyric opening, the accompaniment becomes soft, staccato and rhythmic – almost as if emulating an orchestral pizzicato from the strings. The oboe sings sweetly above, joined two octaves below by the bassoon before returning to the same flute and clarinet theme above.
The fourth movement (under a minute) is the “angriest” of the set – a series of augmented chords poke at an accompaniment between solos by the flute, bassoon, clarinet, oboe, and horn each in turn. The final movement has elements of a 6/8 military march with intermittent light, flowing melodies from the upper voices again.
Again, I don’t have a whole lot of insight on each individual movement, but as a whole, I love how Hindemith’s writing fits this medium. The woodwind family has the unique ability to sound both more or less uniform as well as allowing each member to have its own voice. Whereas a string quartet is “led” by the first violin and a brass ensemble by the first trumpet, a woodwind quintet is more of a round table group. No clear leadership and each instrument acts as an equal partner with the rest. There are just so many sounds, pairings, and textures to build a piece around, that I was drawn to this ensemble and wrote the cornerstone of my senior recital for our graduate woodwind quintet.
Tomorrow – Light as a Feather (Chick Corea)
Next week – Chopin: Nocturnes
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