Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581

The Clarinet Quintet by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–91) is a late addition to his chamber music catalogue. Although he had previously composed the Flute Quartet, K. 285, and Oboe Quartet, K. 370, the Clarinet Quintet was his only completed piece to feature a string ensemble with clarinet, and one of the earliest chamber pieces written for this combination.

Introduction

The quintet is in A major, home key of the clarinet in A (there also being the more common clarinet in B-flat), and scored for solo clarinet with the accompaniment of a string quartet. Its four-movement structure (“Allegretto” – “Larghetto” – “Menuetto” – “Allegretto con variazioni”) is typical of later 18th-century quartets and quintets, but the choice of a finale movement with variations was uncommon.

History

In December 1787, Emperor Joseph II appointed Mozart to the salaried position of composer for the imperial chamber music—a post that brought about, through 1791, many chamber pieces of exquisite quality. The Clarinet Quintet is listed in Mozart’s catalogue of his works under the date of September 29, 1789; in a 1790 letter he referred to it as “the Stadler Quintet.” The clarinetist Anton Stadler, both a fellow musician at the imperial court and a close friend, premiered it on December 22 at a benefit concert held by the Tonkünstler Society (established to support widows and orphans of Viennese musicians). And Michael Puchberg, Mozart’s affluent patron and fellow Freemason, arranged for a private repeat concert on the day after the first performance. Stadler had previously premiered the Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, K. 498 (“Kegelstatt,” 1786), and was also the soloist in Mozart’s final instrumental work, the Clarinet Concerto, K. 622, of October 1791.

In 1788–89, Stadler explored the newly invented basset horn: an alto clarinet in F (i.e., sounding a perfect fifth below its notated pitches), in a curved shape and with an extended lower range. Mozart composed a quintet movement for him that included clarinet, basset horn, violin, viola, and cello (K. 580b), as well as a quintet movement in A major (K. 581a) using the same ensemble as the Clarinet Quintet. Hence, Mozart might have originally meant the Clarinet Quintet for the basset horn, too. But since its autograph score has not survived, the case cannot be decided. Moreover, the earliest surviving source of the piece—a set of parts published in 1802 by Artaria of Vienna—requires a clarinet in A.

Mozart: Quintet in A major for Clarinet, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, K. 581

Form

The clarinet quintet adheres to the conventional late 18th-century four-movement structure. Its opening Allegro shows a typical sonata form, with exposition, development, and recapitulation sections; both exposition and development/recapitulation are repeated. The slow movement (Larghetto), in the subdominant key of D major, has no repeats but features an A–B–A form. The Menuet returns to the home key, and consists of two unequal parts (eight and 16 measures in length) that are repeated. Its two trio sections—each with repeats, and the first one in A minor—are followed by the initial Menuet and establish an A–B–C–A form. The finale movement (“Allegretto con variazioni”) initially presents a theme with a melody divided into two equal parts (eight plus eight measures). The theme is followed by four variations, with the third variation in A minor.

Analysis

The main theme of the first movement is a prime example of Mozart's “combination of heterogeneous characters into a thematic unity,” as the 20th-century composer Arnold Schoenberg called it: the strings present a serene melodic line in half and quarter notes; the clarinet responds with a short arabesque in eighth and 16th notes. This eight-measure period represents structured irregularly, for the initial string phrase comprises six measures, the clarinet only two. After an elaborate transition, during which the clarinet introduces a few notes outside the key, the strings introduce the second theme in the dominant key of E major and then quickly engage the clarinet in a lively dialogue. The exposition ends with a brief reprise of the first theme and leads into a polyphonically charged development section that begins with a startling turn to the distant key of C major and ends with an elaborate recapitulation.

The slow movement presents a tranquil clarinet line with soft, muted (“con sordino”) string accompaniment. After the simple, cavatina-like opening, the second section presents a dramatic duet between the clarinet and first violin, culminating in a vivid dialogue, before returning to the opening melody, with modifications.

The minuet is characterized by a lively triple meter, distinct forte–piano (loud–soft) contrasts, and expressive cantabile (song-like) passages. The initial trio transitions to A minor and is performed exclusively by the string section, whereas the second trio exemplifies a true Ländler (a triple-meter European folk dance), prominently featuring the clarinet.

Mozart's concluding variations stand out for their polyphonic finesse and unique character. The gavotte-like rhythm blends accessibility with subtle grandeur. Each instrument contributes to the variations with a solo, and, in the required minor variation, the viola is featured. At the original performance, it is likely that Mozart himself performed the viola solo. (His customary role in chamber music settings was as violist.) The movement's highlight is the Adagio variation, featuring, in the clarinet, several notes outside the key. Its rhetorical ending chords pause for an improvised clarinet flourish before shifting to the final lively variation.

Critical Thoughts

Mozart's distinctive integration of solo clarinet with string quartet effectively highlights the clarinet’s lyrical characteristics and timbral range, when in combination with the strings. This approach broadened the music’s expressive scope, as the interplay of cheerfulness and subtle melancholy throughout the work is reflected not only in its melodic lines and differentiated harmonic makeup, but also—and seemingly effortlessly—in the dynamic exchange between the clarinet and the string ensemble. Hence, the sonorous characteristics of the clarinet quintet sets it apart from the more homogeneous sound of the four string quintets from the same period (K. 515, 516, 593, and 614). This textural variety includes the dynamics of the work as well. Unusually for Mozart, every movement and section, except the main minuet (yet not its trios), begins piano (softly), and the silent sounds engage both players and listeners in the intricate interplay of the instruments and the emerging, varied textures of the music.

Legacy

After its initial release in 1802—by Artaria in Vienna, and then by Johann André in Offenbach—Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet quickly became a favorite piece of chamber music. It influenced later composers, notably Carl Maria von Weber’s B-flat major Clarinet Quintet, Op. 34 (1815), and Johannes Brahms’s B-minor Clarinet Quintet, Op. 115 (1891), that also ends with a set of variations.

An early recording of the work from 1938 featured jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman and the Budapest String Quartet (reissued in 2025 on the Restauración label). A 1985 recording with basset clarinet—on the hypothetical assumption of Mozart’s original choice of instrument—was released by Hyperion Records.

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Article by Christoph Wolff