The Danzi Quintet was a Dutch

wind quintet A wind quintet, also known as a woodwind quintet, is a group of five wind players (most commonly flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn and bassoon). Unlike the string quartet (of 4 string instruments) with its homogeneous blend of sound color, the i ...

, one of the most highly regarded quintets active in the 1960s and 1970s The quintet took its name from the 18th/19th-century composer

Franz Danzi Franz Ignaz Danzi (15 June 1763 – 13 April 1826) was a German cellist, composer and conductor, the son of the Italian cellist Innocenz Danzi (1730–1798) and brother of the noted singer Franzeska Danzi. Danzi lived at a significant time i ...

(a notable early composer of wind quintets), and was founded in 1956 or 1957 by the

flutist The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

Frans Vester. It was composed of members of the

Concertgebouw Concertgebouw may refer to one of the following concert halls: * Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands * Concertgebouw, Bruges, Belgium * Concertgebouw de Vereeniging, Netherlands {{disambiguation Buildings and structures disambiguation pages ...

and

Dutch Opera Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

Orchestras, and was initially formed in order to perform the Dutch premiere of

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first Modernism (music), modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-centu ...

Wind Quintet A wind quintet, also known as a woodwind quintet, is a group of five wind players (most commonly flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn and bassoon). Unlike the string quartet (of 4 string instruments) with its homogeneous blend of sound color, the i ...

, op. 26, which they did—after 107 rehearsals over the course of a year—at the 1958 Holland Festival. The other founding members of the quintet were Leo Driehuys (

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

), Pem Godri (

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

), Brian Pollard (

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

), and Adriaan van Woudenberg (

horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...

). Vester played in the quintet for the entire period of its existence and was also its artistic director. soon took over the position of oboist, and shortly afterward Piet Honingh became the clarinetist. Slogteren remained until 1971. He was succeeded by Maarten Karres, then in 1973 by

Han de Vries Han Samuel de Vries (born 31 August 1941, The Hague), is a Dutch oboist and is considered the doyen of the Dutch school of oboe playing. He studied oboe with Jaap Stotijn at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and with his son Haakon Stotijn at ...

, and later by Jan Spronk. The Danzi Quintet acquired international fame, especially for their performances of

contemporary music Contemporary music is whatever music is produced at the current time. Specifically, it could refer to: Genres or audiences * Adult contemporary music * British contemporary R&B * Christian adult contemporary * Christian contemporary hit radio * Con ...

. Many composers wrote works for the Danzi Quintet, amongst others

Rob du Bois Rob du Bois (28 May 1934 – 28 August 2013) was a Dutch composer, pianist, and jurist. Background and education Rob (Robert Louis) du Bois was born in Amsterdam. His French ancestry can be seen from his name, and he maintained a sympathy for the ...

(''Chants en contrepoints'', 1962 and ''Réflexions sur le jour où Pérotin le Grand ressuscitera'', 1969),

Peter Schat Peter Ane Schat (5 June 1935 – 3 February 2003) was a Dutch composer. Biography Schat was born on 5 June 1935 in Utrecht. He studied composition with Kees van Baaren (1952–1958) at the Utrecht Conservatoire and Royal Conservatory of The Ha ...

(''Improvisations and Symphonies'', opus 11, 1960), Ton de Leeuw (''Antiphony'', for wind quintet and four-channel tape, 1960),

Misha Mengelberg Misha Mengelberg (5 June 1935 – 3 March 2017) was a Dutch jazz pianist and composer.Feather, Leonard & Gitler, Ira (2007) ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'', p. 459. Oxford University Press. A prominent figure in post-WWII European Jazz ...

(''Omtrent een componistenactie'', 1966),

Josef Tal Josef Tal (; September 18, 1910 – August 25, 2008) was an Israeli composer. He wrote three Hebrew operas; four German operas, dramatic scenes; six symphonies; 13 concerti; chamber music, including three string quartets; instrumental works; ...

(Wind Quintet, 1966), and

Jan van Vlijmen Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

(Second Wind Quintet, 1972).

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Further reading