Carl Nielsen

Wind Quintet (Nielsen)

Carl Nielsen's Wind Quintet, or as indicated by the original score, the Kvintet for Fløjte, Obo, Klarinet, Horn og Fagot, Op. 43, was composed early in 1922 in Gothenburg, Sweden, where it was first

Background#

According to his biographer Torben Meyer, Carl Nielsen started composing the wind quintet in the autumn of 1921 after hearing four members of the Copenhagen Wind Quintet (flautist: Paul Hagemann, oboist: Svend C. Felumb, clarinettist: Aage Oxenvad, hornist: Hans Sørensen, bassoonist: Knud Lassen) rehearsing the Sinfonia Concertante by Mozart with the pianist Christian Christiansen, whom Nielsen was having a telephone conversation with while the winds rehearsed. It was these musicians he specifically had in mind when he wrote the piece. British composer and biographer Robert Simpson writes, “Nielsen’s fondness of wind instruments is closely related to his love of nature, his fascination for living, breathing things. He was also intensely interested in human character, and in the Wind Quintet composed deliberately for five friends, each part is cunningly made to suit the individuality of each player.”

Music#

In a programme note, Nielsen himself provided a description of the work: “The quintet for winds is one of the composer’s latest works, in which he has attempted to render the characters of the various instruments. At one moment they are all talking at once, at another they are quite alone. The work consists of three movements: a) Allegro, b) Minuet and c) Prelude – Theme with Variations. The theme for these variations is the melody for one of C.N.’s spiritual songs, which has here been made the basis of a set of variations, now merry and quirky, now elegiac and serious, ending with the theme in all its simplicity and very quietly expressed.” The variations are the most complex part of the piece and consist of the theme, 11 variations, and a final restatement of the theme.

Reception#

The first public performance was on 9 October 1922 in the smaller hall at the Odd Fellows Mansion in Copenhagen. It was performed by the five musicians mentioned in the Copenhagen Wind Quintet. The reviews were positive. Berlinske Tidende mentioned the work’s “manly seriousness, rhythmic grace, fertile humour… The theme of the third movement turned out to be Carl Nielsen’s beautiful melody for the hymn My Jesus, let my heart receive (Min Jesus, lad mit Hjerte faa from Halvthundrede Salmer) – only one line of music, but the longing and devotion of a mind are released in these few bars.” It concluded that “the members of the Wind Quintet gave the new work an excellent performance and were rewarded with the warmest applause.” Nielsen scholar Robert Simpson said the following about the Quintet. The wind quintet was frequently played during the composer’s lifetime, including a performance at the International Music Week in Berlin on 29 March 1923. It was also performed at his funeral in 1931.

Performances today#

On the basis of information from the Carl Nielsen Society, the Wind Quintet is one of Nielsen’s most widely performed works, both in Scandinavia and the rest of the world.

Composer: Carl Nielsen