Composers · Ralph Vaughan Williams
Chamber · Piano Quintet · C minor · 1903
Piano Quintet in C minor
Ralph Vaughan Williams
An early chamber work for piano and strings, written by a young Vaughan Williams, set aside for decades and then brought back into the repertoire.
What to listen for
The piece is in three movements and uses the same mix of instruments as Schubert's Trout Quintet: piano, violin, viola, cello, and double bass. The double bass gives the sound a deep, dark floor.
I. Allegro con fuoco. The opening is energetic and stormy, with the piano and strings trading bold, driving themes. It is closer to the Germanic Romantic style Vaughan Williams studied than to the English folk-flavored sound he became known for.
II. Andante. The pace slows to a songlike movement, with long lines for the strings over a soft piano accompaniment. It is the calmest stretch of the piece.
III. Fantasia (quasi variazione). The finale takes a theme and changes it through a series of variations, moving between moods, from reflective to brisk, and pulls the earlier material toward a close. Listen for hints of the modal harmony that later became his signature.
The story
Vaughan Williams wrote this quintet around 1903, when he was in his early thirties and still finding his voice. He later withdrew it, and it stayed unpublished during his lifetime. It was revived and published in 1999, and it has been played and recorded since as a window into his early style. The choice of piano, violin, viola, cello, and double bass follows the layout Schubert used in his Trout Quintet.
First time hearing it?
- It runs roughly half an hour, with three movements; a pause between them is normal, and the audience usually waits to applaud until the end.
- The double bass is unusual in a piano quintet, so listen for the deep low notes under the strings.
- It sounds more like late Romantic music than the English folk style he is known for.
Written by OrchestraFinder with AI help, updated October 2026. How we write · Spot an error?