# Piano Quintets: Statistical Question



## LvB (Nov 21, 2008)

There are many pieces for piano and four other instruments, but the term 'piano quintet' is almost invariably restricted to pieces for piano, two violins, viola, and violoncello. Composers tend to write only one or two, and to make them major works. Thus Brahms, Rubinstein, Franck, and Elgar each wrote one, while Bloch and Dvorak wrote two, for example. Boccherini, who more or less invented the ensemble, wrote twelve (!).

My question is this: does anyone know of any other significant composers who wrote more than two piano quintets (restricting the term to the ensemble noted above)?


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## andruini (Apr 14, 2009)

I believe Bohuslav Martinu wrote three.


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## LvB (Nov 21, 2008)

andruini said:


> I believe Bohuslav Martinu wrote three.


That would have been a pleasant discovery, but he appears to have written three Piano Trios (two numbered and one entitled _Five Brief Pieces_) and only two Quintets (in 1933 and 1944, respectively-- unfortunately there wasn't another in 1955  ).


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## andruini (Apr 14, 2009)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Bohuslav_Martinů#Quintets

There you go, there's another one from 1911.


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## LvB (Nov 21, 2008)

Excellent! I stand corrected, and happily so (I very much like Martinu's music). Now to see whether it's ever been recorded....

Thanks.


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## andruini (Apr 14, 2009)

I haven't seen any recordings of it, I'm quite interested in hearing it as well! Especially since the other two are quite great! Let me know if you find anything!


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

So two manuscripts of Martinu must have gotten lost at some point, Piano quintets from 1922 and 1955.. They must exist!


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