Obscure Music Monday: Reynaldo Hahn's Piano Quintet

This week we are looking at a piece by Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947), a Venezuelan born composer and conductor who lived and worked in France for most of his life. Hahn was most famous for writing almost 100 art songs, and although it isn't a name we often hear in the modern musical canon, Reynaldo Hahn was very popular in the salons of Paris during his life, accompanying himself at the piano while he sang his own songs. While he only wrote a handful of chamber pieces, his Piano Quintet in F-sharp minor is a fantastic showcase of Hahn's compositional skill while still retaining the charming characteristics of 20th century French music.

The piece takes off right away, with a foreboding melody that takes the listener by surprise. The second theme is more charming as it thoughtfully moves through different keys. Hahn's keen taste for songwriting is apparent in the nimble and repetitive piano gestures, which leaves more room to explore the thematic material. The second movement is deep and reflective, which starts with a somber melody in the cello. Sensitivity and nuance are the main attractions in this movement. The Quintet's final movement is light and wistful, blending baroque elements with his unique sense of structure and harmony. Thematic material from the first movement make a triumphant return, and the piece ends gloriously with a coda in F-sharp major.

Hahn began his musical life very early on after his family moved to Paris when he was 3, where he started taking lessons for piano, voice, and composition. At age 10 he was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire, where he would study with great masters such as Jules Massenet and Camille Saint-Saëns. Hahn was renowned by many prominent figures in Paris during his life, however his relationship with writer Marcel Proust was perhaps his closest and most well-known. When they met in 1894, they both shared special interests in art, music and literature, and over the course of 2 years would foster a deep and personal romance. Although Hahn was conflicted about his sexuality and openly scorned homosexuality, letters between them reveal a genuine yet veiled affection.

Reynaldo Hahn is a unique composer who's style is vividly representative of his era. While he may not have been prolific in many large-scale works like symphonies or operas, his soulful and elegant writing is certainly worth knowing about, and his Quintet stands out among his works as a beautiful display of craftsmanship and expression.