Piano Quintet No. 1 ('Shadows') Piano Quintet - Digital Sheet Music

SKU: A0.1765534

Robert Howard's 2025 Piano Quintet No.1 is forty minutes in duration, and is his longest composition thus far. The piece is subtitled 'Shadows'. This concept is explored in various musical ways throughout each of the five movements. The extended first movement in the Dorian mode on D is entitled 'Preludio'. It bears elements of sonata form, with two main themes and much exchange and doubling (or 'shadowing') between the piano and the string quartet, featuring repetitive and scalic minimalist textures. The second movement is the first of two scherzos. In this case, the musical 'joke' is the almost ever-present repeated note of A, which casts a dominating shadow throughout. Two main ideas alternate, and both feature chromatically descending parallel triads about the pedal point, yet in quite different ways. On reaching the coda, the repeated note completely takes over. The extended, ternary form third movement is primarily based on a four-bar ground bass that modulates unnervingly by a semitone on each varied cycle. Here the concept of shadows is more nocturnal and mysterious, with a middle section of sinewy shadow-like canons. The fourth movement is a contrasting second scherzo in 6/8. Two alternating themes each create shadowy textures through a fugal build up of lines. The finale provides a more playful take on the shadow concept, with a light-hearted, repetitive rondo theme, and a nostalgic subsidiary melody. Both ideas appear in close canon at times. In the work's coda, following an ascending scale of three and a half octaves, the music seems to finally be released from the dominance of shadows, ending on a clear and affirmative D major chord.
This piece was completed for the eightieth birthday of the composer's mother, Dorothy Howard, on 4th December 2025.
The work is accessible to the listener, and is best suited to experienced performers such as advanced students and professional players.
The PDF document provided is fully complete for performance, including a full score, followed by each individual part. A piano part is provided, though the pianist may prefer to play from the score. The attached audio sample is of the complete first movement only. The complete audio of all five movements is available directly from the composer (Email: [email protected]).
Duration: 40 minutes.
Registered with PRS (Performing Rights Society, UK).
Composer's Website: www.roberthowardmusic.co.uk