01
das Quintett
quintet
A group of five musicians who make music together.
example
Das Jazz-Quintett spielte bis spät in die Nacht.
The jazz quintet played until late into the night.
das Quintett
quintet
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word structure
The word stem 'Quint-' comes from the Latin word for 'five' (quinque). All meanings of the word therefore refer to a group or a work with five elements.
EXAMPLE
Neben dem Klavierquartett gibt es auch das berühmte Forellenquintett von Schubert.
In addition to the piano quartet, there is also Schubert's famous Trout Quintet.
Sentence structure
To describe the members of a quintet, German often uses a genitive construction or the preposition 'aus' (made up of/from). For example: 'ein Quintett der besten Musiker' (a quintet of the best musicians) or 'ein Quintett aus Sängern' (a quintet of singers).
EXAMPLE
Ein Quintett aus internationalen Experten bewertete die Vorschläge.
A group of five international experts evaluated the proposals.
Typical collocations
When referring to a music group, the type of instruments or the musical style is often mentioned. Typical examples are 'Streichquintett' (string quintet), 'Bläserquintett' (wind quintet), or 'Jazz-Quintett' (jazz quintet).
EXAMPLE
Das Bläserquintett der Philharmoniker gab ein beeindruckendes Konzert.
The Philharmonic's wind quintet gave an impressive concert.
Context clue
The verb often reveals whether the group (m01) or the piece of music (m02) is meant. A group 'tritt auf' (performs) or 'spielt' (plays), while a piece is 'komponiert' (composed), 'erklingt' (is heard/performed), or 'steht auf dem Programm' (is on the program).
EXAMPLE
Das Quintett spielt heute Abend im Konzerthaus.
The quintet is playing at the concert hall this evening.
Compare with
Quintett vs Band
band
'die Band' and 'das Quintett' can both mean a group of musicians. 'die Band' is a general word for a music group, especially in pop, rock, or jazz; the number of members is not fixed. 'das Quintett' is more specific and means that five musicians play together. Learners may confuse the words because a quintet is also a kind of music group. If the number five is important, 'Quintett' fits; if the music group is meant in general, 'Band' is more natural.
Quintett
Das Quintett spielt heute Abend ein ruhiges Stück für Streicher.
The quintet is playing a quiet piece for strings this evening.
Band
Nach dem Unterricht hört Max die neue Band aus seiner Stadt.
After class, Max listens to the new band from his town.
In real life
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