Presents
Joseph Eybler
String Quintet in E flat Major, Op.5 No.1
For 2 Violins, 2 Violas and Cello
“I the undersigned hereby testify that I have found the bearer, Mr. Joseph Eybler, a worthy pupil of his famous master Albrechtsberger, a thorough composer, equally skilled in chamber and church styles, very experienced in compositional technique, as well as an excellent organ and piano player—-in short a young musician such as regrettably has few peers.”
So wrote Mozart in a letter of recommendation for his good friend and student, Joseph Eybler (1765-1846). And Eybler’s reputation and prominence in Vienna were such that the Empress made him Music Master to the Imperial Family in 1801 and in 1804 he was promoted to Vice-Kapellmeister, a position he held until 1824, at which time he succeeded Salieri as Imperial Kapellmeister. He held this post until his death. He was, like most of his contemporaries a prolific composer in most genres. He wrote several string quartets and at least six string quintets. Eybler tended to view his quintets in the typical 18th century Austrian tradition as serenades. Unlike his quartets, which strictly follow the classical Viennese prescription set down by Haydn of 4 movements, the quintets generally feature at least five and sometimes more movements. However, Op.5 No.1 was originally published around 1800 was an exception to this.
In four movements. the Quintet begins with a rather simple, genial Allegro. At times, the music rises to an orchestral pitch. The second movement is a rather rhythmically unusual Menuetto, allegretto. The trio section features the first viola with a serenade like melody with pizzicato accompaniment. The Adagio which comes next also has recalls the style of the serenade with its beautiful singing melodies. A lively Vivace concludes the work.
Our new edition is based on the original by Andre. This is a perfert work for an amateur ensemble looking for a performance piece or a student group performing in a competition as it presents no technical difficulties and is a very straight forward piece.
Parts: $29.95
Parts & Score: $36.95
technical difficulty
