Much of Antonin Dvorák's early career was plagued by bad composing for the piano. His lack of experience combined with his infamiliarity with the piano resulted in many poor compositions: they were either too easy, too difficult, or just too bad to be considered great works.

Dvorák apparently figured something out when he wrote this piece, though. The Piano Quintet in A is definitely one of Dvorák's greatest pieces, earning it a solid position in The Fifteen Greatest. Throughout the quintet, Dvorák is able to combine brilliant piano passages with the solid foundation of the string quartet. Dvorák's Piano Quintet in A contains some of the finest and most delicate textures known to music.

RealAudio Performance:

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Analysis:

The analysis of this piece has been split up by movement:

• 1) Allegro ma non troppo
• 2) Dumka
• 3) Scherzo
• 4) Finale

User Submissions:

Here's what others have had to say about this piece... Press here if you want to add to this discussion.

Name: Denise
E-mail:
Date: Saturday, September 7, 2002 at 01:17:39
Text: This piece offers a chance for each instrument to perform. The cello solo at the beginning of the first movement is particularly lovely.

• The 15 Greatest
• Antonin Dvorák Info
• Other Works by Dvorák

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