Francis Poulenc, a prominent member of Les Six, described his Sextet for piano and wind quintet as a homage to the wind instruments he loved from the moment he began composing.
Compositional Technique
Mozart's Quintet K452 was unprecedented in combining wind instruments with piano, setting a high bar for this new instrumentation.
Composer Biography
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov abandoned his career as a naval officer in 1871 to become a full-time musician and professor at the Saint Petersburg Conservatoire, though he had to wear his naval uniform while teaching until 1873.
Composer Biography
Louise Farrenc, a French composer, was appointed professor of piano at the Paris Conservatoire in 1842 and held that position for 30 years.
Composition History
Mozart considered his Quintet in E flat major K452 for oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, and pianoforte to be the best work he had written in his life.
Historical Context
The Société de musique de chambre pour instruments à vent (Society of Chamber Music for Wind Instruments) was founded in 1879 by flautist Paul Taffanel to promote wind repertoire in a string-dominated chamber music scene.
Composer Biography
Ludwig Thuille, a composer from Tyrol, became lifelong friends with Richard Strauss after meeting him in 1877 while studying at the Innsbruck School of Music.
