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Brahms: Clarinet Quintet
Winds with strings or piano · about 35–37 minutes

Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115

Autumnal, intimate and very demanding for the clarinet and first violin. For an experienced group that enjoys rich harmony and flexible, breathing tempos.
Very demanding
For clarinet, 2 violins, viola and cello
Players
clarinet, 2 violins, viola and cello
Difficulty
Very demanding, judged by the hardest part
Length
About 35–37 minutes
Written
1891, in Bad Ischl, Austria
Also known as
Op. 115 · Clarinet Quintet in B minor · Quintet for clarinet and strings
Free parts
Score and parts on IMSLP

Part by part

The piece is rated by its hardest part. Here is how each part compares, so a group can see who will need to practise most.
Clarinet
Wide leaps, the whole range of the instrument and long, expressive solos in the Adagio. Needs control at very soft levels and plenty of breath.
Very demanding
Violin 1
Shares the main ideas with the clarinet throughout and has quick, high writing in the third movement and the variations.
Very demanding
Violin 2
Dense inner parts with Brahms’s typical cross-rhythms. Not flashy, but it takes careful counting.
Advanced
Viola
Warm inner lines, often doubling or answering the clarinet. Brahms gives the viola a lot to say.
Advanced
Cello
Bass line and rich doubling of the other parts. Needs a full, warm sound in the low register.
Advanced

The movements

I. Allegro. The strings open alone before the clarinet steals in. Restless and lyrical; agree on how much the tempo can flex.
II. Adagio. A long, slow song in B major. The darker middle section in B minor, closer in mood to the first movement, gives the clarinet fast runs across its whole range: its showpiece.
III. Andantino. The shortest movement, starting gently in D major and turning into a quick section. Clarinet and violin trade phrases.
IV. Con moto. A theme and five variations, each with its own character. The first movement returns at the end; don’t let the last chord catch you out.

Reading it together for the first time

Start with the third movement: it’s the shortest and the lightest, and it gets everyone used to the textures.
The clarinet part is for A clarinet. IMSLP also has the version of the solo part for viola.
Use one edition for all parts; IMSLP has the first edition (Simrock, 1892) with a full set of parts.
Read the Adagio at a steady tempo first and add the freedom later, once everyone knows where the clarinet is going.

About the piece

Brahms had decided to stop composing when, in March 1891, he was introduced to the playing of the clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld. He spent the summer in Bad Ischl writing two works with Mühlfeld in mind: this quintet and the Clarinet Trio, Op. 114. The quintet was first played privately in Meiningen on November 24, 1891, by Mühlfeld and the Joachim Quartet, and in public in Berlin on December 12. Simrock published it in 1892, dedicated to Mühlfeld.
It shares two features with Mozart’s quintet: the strings play first, and the finale is a theme with five variations. Near the end, themes from the first movement come back, and the piece ends with an abrupt forte chord in B minor.

Hear it live

Upcoming performances in the cities we list.
Sun
15
Nov
Boston Chamber Music Society
Beethoven, Dvořák, Brahms
Beethoven · Dvořák · Brahms
3:00 PM · Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, Harvard Square, Cambridge
Concert hall · Favourites

What to play next

Mozart · Clarinet Quintet in A, K. 581
The easier way in for the same five players; it also opens with the strings alone and ends with variations.
Advanced
Brahms · Clarinet Trio in A minor, Op. 114
Written the same summer for the same clarinettist: clarinet, cello and piano.
Very demanding
Weber · Clarinet Quintet in B-flat, Op. 34
Same players and same level, but brilliant and extrovert where Brahms is inward.
Very demanding
Brahms · Two Sonatas, Op. 120
Brahms’s two clarinet sonatas, for when the clarinettist wants to play with a pianist.
Very demanding
More in the full list by difficulty, or browse:
Winds with strings or pianoViolinViolaCelloClarinet

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Levels are Rhapsodate’s own rough guide, not an exam grade. Facts checked 2026-10-03 against:
IMSLP: movements, dedication, premieres, first edition (Simrock, 1892), free parts
Wikipedia: Mühlfeld, Bad Ischl, premieres, structure and length
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