Clarinet quintet Clarinet quintet Traditionally a clarinet quintet is a chamber musical ensemble made up of one clarinet, plus the standard string quartet of two violins, one viola, and one cello. Now the term clarinet quintet can refer to five B clarinets; four B clarinets and a bass clarinet; three B clarinets and two bass clarinets; one E clarinet, two B clarinets, and two bass clarinets; or one E clarinet, two B clarinets, one E alto clarinet, and one bass clarinet. The term is also used to refer to a piece written for one of these ensembles. One of the earliest and
String quintet a double bass, and Mozart's famous "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" may be performed with this instrumentation (the double bass being optional). Alternative additions include clarinet or piano (see clarinet quintet, piano quintet); and other closely related chamber music genres include the string quartet (much more common), the string trio, and the string sextet. A more unusual form of string quintet is the "violin quintet" composed of 3 violins, a viola and a cello (thus a string quartet with an additional violin). The term "string quintet" may refer to a group of five players that performs such works. The ensemble was standard