Description

String Quintet no 11
in b-flat major, op. 33

String Quintet (1828)

Product details:

Composer: ONSLOW, Georges (1784-1853)
Format: high-resolution digital PDF (printable)
Instrumentation: 2 violins, viola, violoncello and double bass
Number of pages (score): 41
Number of movements: 4
Special features of this score: George Onslow’s String Quintet No. 11 in B-flat major, Op. 33 is one of his finest chamber works and an excellent example of the rich, symphonic style that earned him the nickname “the French Beethoven.” Written around 1828 (and first published in 1827–1828 by Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig), this quintet is scored for two violins, viola, cello, and double bass. It is one of the earliest and most successful examples of the string quintet with double bass in the Romantic repertoire. The Quintet No. 11 belongs to Onslow’s mature period and demonstrates how effectively he integrated the bass as an independent and expressive voice rather than merely doubling the cello.Compared with later, more dramatic works such as Op. 38 or Op. 67, Op. 33 is more classically proportioned. It has a warm and lyrical character, is less overtly turbulent and particularly elegant and balanced. Despite its exceptional craftsmanship, this work remains rarely performed today. It deserves recognition because it offers outstanding chamber writing, a substantial and rewarding double bass part, an immediate melodic appeal and historical importance in the bass chamber repertoire. For double bassists, it is one of the most significant chamber works before the late Romantic era.This score is based on the Breitkopf und Härtel version published in 1829. The double bass part is loosely based on the version published in 1998 by the publisher Walter Wollenweber.

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