In May 1787, less than a month after composing the joyful Quintet No. 3 in C Major, Mozart completed this haunting counterpart: the Quintet No. 4 in G Minor, a marked contrast to its predecessor. From the beginning of the piece, dissonances create a despairing atmosphere, as if the fear of death—cast aside as he composed the C major quintet—had returned in full force. The quintet's deeply personal, almost confessional nature, coupled with the ingenuity of its structure and composition, make it a particularly poignant work, one of Mozart's most tragic and indelible masterpieces.