String Quintet in G major, Op.77

Unmistakably Czech and entirely characteristic of Dvorák though it is, the String Quintet in G major occasionally betrays the influential presence of one of his favourite Viennese composers – not Brahms in this case but Schubert. It is true that Schubert’s great String Quintet in C major adds a second cello to the string quartet texture rather than a double bass but that work was clearly an inspiration to Dvorák here. Nowhere near as developed a composer at the age of 34 as Schubert was at 31, however, Dvorák probably did not feel ready to bear the comparison and indicated his less ambitious intentions by aligning his Quintet with the string serenade, using a double bass rather than a second cello or second viola and casting the work in five movements - in the original version, that is: on its publication 13 years later the second of those five movement was omitted.

Whatever the reason for the instrumentation, the presence of the double bass does have the effect of releasing the cello from bass-line duties to spend more time in the foreground. Since the forward disposition of the cello encourages the viola and second violin to emulate it, Dvorák’s scoring here is extravagantly colourful. The one comparatively economical area in the first movement is the very Schubertian second subject with its tight texture and prominent triplet rhythms. While there is little sign of Schubert in the Scherzo – unless it is in the Viennese-style trio that comes between the Czech folk-dance outer sections – there is a touching tribute to him in the Poco andante where the cello takes up the melody of the middle section in a decorative texture clearly inspired by the sublime Adagio of the Quintet in C major. Having made his sincere acknowledgement, Dvorák cheerfully goes his own way in a Finale entirely consistent in style and proportions with the serenade orientation of the rest of the work.

Gerald Larner©2002