Weekend Wildcard: Coleridge-Taylor – Clarinet Quintet in F sharp minor Op.10 (1895)

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Clarinet Quintet in F-sharp minor, Op. 10 (1895) is a highly regarded, 34-minute Romantic chamber work for clarinet and string quartet. Composed at age 20, it is noted for its melodic richness, rhythmic complexity, and structural maturity. Often compared to Brahms, it is considered a masterpiece of the genre.

Key Details

• Composition & Style: Written while the composer was a student at the Royal College of Music, it shows remarkable maturity and is influenced by both traditional Romanticism and English pastoral styles.
• Structure: It consists of four movements: Allegro energico, Larghetto affettuoso, Scherzo, and a Finale.
• Significance: It was praised by Sir Charles Villiers Stanford as a remarkable work of the younger generation.