Johannes Brahms' String Quintet No. 1 in F major, Op. 88, was composed in 1882 in the spa town of Bad Ischl, Upper Austria, and published by the firm of Fritz Simrock. It was first performed at a chamber music evening in Frankfurt on 29 December 1882.
It is a "viola quintet" in that it is scored for string quartet with a second viola. Brahms composed the work in three movements:
Brahms described the quintet to his friend Clara Schumann as "one of [his] finest works" and told Simrock, "You have never before had such a beautiful work from me."
References
External links
- String Quintet No. 1, Op. 88: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Detailed listening guide using the recording by the Amadeus Quartet with Cecil Aronowitz
- Score editions, including an edition for piano four hands, Brahms-Institut
- John Keillor. String Quintet No. 1 in F major ("Spring"), Op. 88 at AllMusic
