Draeseke composed his Quintet for Piano, String Trio, and Horn op. 48 in the fall of 1888. The special appeal of the quintet lies in its combination of instruments in which the horn joining the strings and the piano is employed with a reserve respecting the resonance and power of this instrument. Despite its major tonic key, the String Quintet op. 77 is of an entirely different character. More than ever all the themes are invented primarily in view of their potential for multifaceted contrapuntal use.