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Antoine-Joseph Reicha (1770-1836) published this work, the first of his Six Quintuors Op. 99, with the House of Simrock in 1822, the plate number being 2049. Nikolaus Simrock indicates that this is Quintet No. 13 in his series. The quintets themselves are entitled in Italian (Quintetto) within the parts, and in French (Quintuors) on the Frontispiece.

The instruments are given French names on the frontispiece: flûte, hautbois, clarinette,  cor and bassoon; but again, Italian pervades the actual parts: flauto (traverso), oboe, clarinetto, corno, and fagotto. No scores are supplied by Simrock for any of the Op. 99 quintets; in fact, it would have been quite unusual had this been the case. Like madrigals published in the 16th Century, we have‘part-book’ format in use for these works.

Clarinet in C is specified for this particular composition, while the hand-horn player will use both G and F crooks. I have supplied parts in Bb for the clarinet and in F for the horn, in order that modern players might avoid transposition at sight in such a complex work.

The Op. 99 Quintuors are set in the following keys:

No. 1 (13) Ut majeur
No. 2 (14) Fà mineur
No. 3 (15) La majeur
No. 4 (16) Ré majeur
No. 5 (17) Sì mineur
No. 6 (18) Sol majeur

In the preface, which is signed by the five members of the original group which played these quintets, it is made clear that these wind players sought, through performing Reicha’s works, to remedy the overwhelming interest awarded to string instruments in chamber music of the day, at the expense of wind ensembles.

The original quintet for which this work was composed consisted of the following members:

Joseph Guillou (1787-1853) flute
Gustave Vogt (1781-1870) oboe
Jacques-Jules Bouffil (1783-?) clarinet
Louis-François Dauprat (1781-1868) horn
One Monsieur Henry was the bassoonist in the ensemble.

First Movement
This interesting movement begins with a slow introduction in 3/8, during which time two rather angular solos, for flute and bassoon respectively, emerge over ultra-static harmonies. These solos are simply a portend of the almost avant-garde nature of the sonata form in 6/8 which follows. The latter is literally packed with intriguing musical ideas including three primary themes and a substantial set of closing themes, the second of which contains a wonderful baroque-like sequence followed by shocking chromatic harmonies. As one might expect, the development of such a movement is extensive: here it is based primarily on the thematic material heard at the start of the 6/8. But a surprise awaits us during the recapitulation: after the three primary themes have been heard, part of the slow introduction returns, embedded in the closing material rather than being placed at the head of the recapitulation. It is here that we begin to understand that this introductory material is, in reality, Theme 1 of the exposition. A fascinating coda, which includes a pyramid and motivic manipulation similar to that heard in the development, brings the movement to a brilliant climax. This is one of the longest movements within the Reicha Quintets; insofar as actual measures are concerned, weighing in at 607 measures.

Second Movement
After the extraordinary tension set up by the first movement, this Andante in the subdominant is a pleasant relief! The structure is a fairly straightforward arch form: Theme 1, Theme 2 || Theme 3, Theme 1 || Theme 2, Theme 1. The bulk of the mildly agitated central section [Theme 3] features a bassoon solo and is set in the subdominant. This is followed by the start of Theme 1 and an imitative section based on a fragment of Theme 1; set  in the subdominant of the subdominant, it soon modulates back to the tonic for the return of Themes 2 and 1. The tonic of the latter is finalized by a wonderful closing theme.

Third Movement
Reicha actually marks this scherzo: Menuetto. Allegro scherzo. Its structure is most unusual, in that the primary section is a through-composed rounded binary form with no internal repeats with the exception of the first of the four closing themes attached to the end; more important, the phrasing of this section is extraordinarily eccentric! The easy-going Trio, on the other hand, is set up in the usual manner in rounded binary form with repeat signs. It is followed by a series of three closing themes and a substantial transition, which, like the primary section to which it leads, is very mannered: chords in piano alternate with chords in forte before a 'melt-down' occurs and the opening section returns.

Fourth Movement
Reicha concludes once again with a sonata form, rather than with the expected rondo: this had been the case with the majority of the finales found in the Op. 91 Quintets, too. This particular sonata form contains an exposition of three primary themes and four closing themes. In the development section which follows, Reicha has felt free to change key signatures as needed when carrying out modulation; and we have seen that also in Op. 91. But, what is even more interesting, is the changing of key signatures during the exposition as Reicha moves towards the dominant. In addition, a most-fascinating melody is heard in both exposition and recapitulation: it is very reminiscent of the type of ‘Alma mater’ material which Johannes Brahms was to use to such good advantage several years later in his Academic Festival Overture. In the exposition, the Reicha's‘Alma mater’ melody [Theme 2] is placed in Bb major, establishing a third relationship with the dominant, G major; in the recapitulation the same theme is heard first in the subdominant and then in the tonic. It should be noted that Theme 1 of this same movement is yet another example of the kind of eccentric thematic material which is found throughout this quintet. The composer manipulates its motivic material to good advantage within both development and coda.