das  Quintett

B1

Estimated CEFR level.

/kʊɪ̯nˈtɛt/

🎶 What exactly is a Quintett?

The German word das Quintett primarily refers to:

• A group of five musicians or singers (e.g., Streichquintett - string quintet, Bläserquintett - wind quintet, Vokalquintett - vocal quintet).
• A piece of music composed for such an ensemble.
• More generally: A group of five people or things forming a unit (less common).

It derives from the Italian quintetto, which in turn comes from the Latin word quintus (the fifth).

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar Insights: Das Quintett

The noun Quintett is neuter. The definite article is therefore das.

📝 Example Sentences

1. Das Streichquintett spielte ein Stück von Mozart.
   (The string quintet played a piece by Mozart.)
2. Wir gründeten ein Jazz-Quintett an der Musikschule.
   (We founded a jazz quintet at the music school.)
3. Die fünf Freunde bildeten ein unzertrennliches Quintett.
   (The five friends formed an inseparable quintet. - less common usage)
4. Das Programm beinhaltete mehrere beeindruckende Quintette.
   (The program included several impressive quintets.)

💡 When to use 'das Quintett'?

The term Quintett is almost exclusively used in a musical context. You talk about a Streichquintett (string quintet), Bläserquintett (wind quintet), Klavierquintett (piano quintet), or Vokalquintett (vocal quintet), depending on the instrumentation or voices.

Figuratively, it can also refer to a group of five closely connected people, but this is much rarer and often sounds slightly elevated or jocular. In everyday language, one would more likely say 'eine Fünfergruppe' (a group of five).

⚠️ There is little risk of confusion as the meaning is very specific. Be careful not to mix it up with Quartett (four) or Sextett (six).

🧠 Mnemonics for Memorization

Article Aid: Think of a musical instrument set or a sheet music set that a quintet needs. 'Set' is often neuter in German (das Set), similar to the ending '-ett'. So: das Quintett.

Meaning Aid: 'Quint-' comes from Latin for 'five'. A Quintett always has five members. Count them on one hand!

🔄 Synonyms and Antonyms

Watch out for similar words:

Be careful not to confuse Quintett with Quartett (4) or Sextett (6). The prefixes 'Quint-', 'Quart-', and 'Sext-' directly relate to the number of members (5, 4, 6).

😂 A Little Joke

Warum spielt das Quintett so leise?

Damit man die fünfte Geige nicht hört!

(Why is the quintet playing so softly?
So you don't hear the fifth violin!

This is a pun on the German idiom "die fünfte Geige spielen" - literally "to play the fifth violin" - which means to be unimportant, although a quintet can, of course, have five equal parts.)

🎼 A Poem about the Quintett

Fünf Stimmen klingen rein und klar,
Das ist das Quintett, wunderbar.
Mal Streicher sanft, mal Bläser hell,
Musik erfüllt den Raum so schnell.
Ob Klassik fein, ob Jazz beschwingt,
Wenn Harmonie zusammen klingt,
Lauscht jeder gern dem schönen Spiel,
Fünf Musiker, das ist das Ziel.

(Five voices sound pure and clear,
The quintet's here, wonderful, dear.
Sometimes soft strings, sometimes bright brass,
Music fills the room so fast.
Whether fine classics or swinging jazz,
When harmony together has
Its sound, all love the beautiful play,
Five musicians, that's the way.)

❓ A Little Riddle

Ich bin eine Gruppe, zähle genau fünf,
Oft spiele ich Musik, nicht nur mit Strümpf'.
Mal mit Geigen, mal mit Blech,
Bring ich Harmonie, hab niemals Pech.

Was bin ich?

(I am a group, counting exactly five,
Often I play music, not just to survive.
Sometimes with violins, sometimes with brass,
I bring harmony, never alas.

What am I?)

Lösung/Solution: Das Quintett (The Quintet)

🌐 Other Information

Word Formation (Wortbildung): The word is composed of the Latin ordinal number quintus (the fifth) and the Italian diminutive suffix -etto. It literally means something like 'little group of five'.

Famous Quintets (Bekannte Quintette): Famous musical pieces have been written for quintet instrumentation, e.g., Mozart's Clarinet Quintet or Schubert's Trout Quintet.