Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791) String Quintet in G minor, K. 516

Allegro Menuetto: Allegretto Adagio ma non troppo Adagio – Allegro

In 1787, Mozart wrote a pair of string quintets scored for two violins, two violas and cello. They have contrasting natures – K. 515 in C major is sunny and bountiful whereas K. 516 in G minor is predominantly dark, tragic and at times, violent. Often called "viola quintets" to distinguish them from the "cello quintets" of Boccherini and Schubert, in which the cello is doubled, these two quintets are regarded as Mozart's finest chamber music, perhaps because he indulges his love of the viola, with an emphasis on rich inner voices as well as prominent lead roles for the first chair.

The Quintet in G minor, K. 516, bears the date 16th May 1787 and was written during the period of the final illness of Mozart's father, who died in Salzburg on 28th May. It is the most heartfelt of the string quintets composed in a key that had had strong associations for Mozart of anxiety, desperation, and confrontations with anguish. The work begins with restless, yet quiet agitation. The brooding opening theme, a succession of sighing broken phrases is heard initially from the first violin, accompanied by second violin and first viola and then with a deepened sense of fatalism from the first viola, accompanied by the second viola and cello. The descending notes of the cello, echoing those of the first violin, lead to a second subject that belongs to the viola. Still in the tonic key of G minor it meanders towards the relative major key in an attempt to dispel the air of melancholy but the tragic mood returns in the development and again the recapitulation. The principal theme dominates the coda, as instrument after instrument enters in imitation, and the movement closes with a poignant sense of resignation.

The second movement, Menuetto: Allegretto, is a long way removed from a courtly dance. Maintaining the dark mood, violent chords on what should be a weak beat of the bar are answered by silence on the ensuing strong beats. This is a defiant proclamation, hardly a dance. The central trio, in the key of G major key, brings some relief, but the return of the minuetto closes the movement on a bleak note.

The third movement, Adagio ma non troppo, in E flat major, is a languid, tender song that floats softly on muted strings in an expression of sadness. Tchaikovsky, the master of sorrowful music, said of this movement “No one has ever known as well how to interpret so exquisitely in music the sense of resigned and inconsolable sorrow.” The first theme, melancholic and wistful, is built on a four-note motif. This is music of great beauty but despair lies just beneath the surface. A descending violin figure is answered by the first viola over a syncopated accompaniment, in an affectionate duet each singing to the other for reassurance as the mood settles.

The finale begins with a lengthy Adagio introduction in the opening movement key of G minor. The sadness continues, now in a suspended atmosphere of dissonance and unresolved tension, with the tempo suggesting another slow movement. But then Mozart unexpectedly launches into the ebullient G major Allegro, which creates a stark contrast and seems entirely untouched by the dark sentiments of the movements that preceded it. A skipping rondo melody recurs several times alternating with episodes that maintain the bright mood. Critics have often questioned how such an insouciant and carefree finale could belong to a work whose other movements are an expression of such intense pathos. Whatever Mozart’s intentions one can only marvel at his mastery and magic.

Elizabeth Dalton, 2018