Paciorkiewicz, Tadeusz (1916-1998)
Quintet (12:00) 1951 Publisher: AA (c1979)
I. Allegro
II. Lento, animato
III. Allegro scherzando
Instrumentation: flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon
Paciorkiewicz in this work accomplishes gracefulness, clarity of material, and good amount of contrast from movement to movement by varying the tempo and texture. Interestingly enough he often uses counter melodies doubled in two instruments. He also doubles the accompaniment with two voices exchanging rhythmical patterns that propel the music forward. The second movement is dominated by a single melody accompanied by the other voices. The melody moves gracefully from oboe to bassoon to flute, and later it is developed in all the voices. The movement is closed with a melody in the oboe. The third movement is an elegant, light, quirky scherzando with the melody kept in the upper winds.
Much ensemble precision is needed to successfully perform this piece. Rhythmical accuracy is very important as is dynamic flexibility of the accompanying voices, as they can easily overpower the melody.
Grade: IV-V
Recordings: none
Sheet music source: out of print