Elliott Carter

Elliott Carter (1908-2012)

Nationality: American
Born: December 11, 1908, New York Died: November 5, 2012, New York (age 103)
wikipedia | elliottcarter.com

Clarinet Quintet

(for clarinet, 2 violins, viola and cello)
2:10 I. Allegro non troppo
4:37 II. Meno mosso
3:17 III. Adagio
1:07 IV. Presto
2:00 V. Meno mosso
Duration: 15 minutes (approximately)
Composed: 2007 (age 98-99)
2 recordings, 6 videos
autoopen autoplay
14:06
Charles Neidich, Juilliard Quartet
2:10
Phoenix Ensemble
I. Allegro non troppo
4:37
Phoenix Ensemble
II. Meno mosso
3:17
Phoenix Ensemble
III. Adagio
1:07
Phoenix Ensemble
IV. Presto
2:00
Phoenix Ensemble
V. Meno mosso
From Elliott Carter

The Clarinet Quintet was written with the wonderful performers and the warm friendship of the Juilliard Quartet and the outstanding clarinetist Charles Neidich in mind. In it the clarinet follows its own musical character in contrast to that of the quartet. There are five interlocking movements with no pauses. Having written a Clarinet Concerto and five string quartets, work on this was particularly attractive. The piece was finished October 7, 2007 in New York City.

Elliott Carter
Feb. 25,2008

© Elliott Carter. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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glossary

  • adagio [It]—slow tempo, often implying a lyrical, poignant character
  • allegro [I]—fast, lively tempo. From the Italian word for cheerful or gay.
  • chamber music, Kammermusik [G], musique de chambre [F], musica da camera [I], musica cameralis [L]—"Classical Music" for a small ensemble, generally 8 or fewer players with a canonical emphasis on 3-6 players. explore
  • clarinet quintet—Most often refers to the chamber ensemble (and work) for string quartet and clarinet, a long cultivated genre of chamber music from Mozart to the present era.
  • meno—less
  • mosso—moved, with motion, stirred, agitated
  • presto—very fast, more so than allegro.
  • troppo [I], non troppo, trop [F]—too, too much. non troppo means "not too much". e.g. "Allegro ma non troppo" means fast, but not too much