• Quintet in A for Two Violins, Viola, Violotta, and Cello, WoO 25 (1897) 'Stelzner-Quintett' 
• Quintet in F for Two Violins, Viola, and Two Celli, op. 77 (1901)

Draeseke had already written his three string quartets when he composed his String Quintet in A. The fifth instrument, the "violotta", was developed by the 19th Century inventor and composer Dr. Alfred Stelzner. The violotta has been described as a tenor viola; it is a rarely used instrument that attracted Draeseke's attention. The Quintet in F from 1901 is considered by some as the composer's most important chamber work.

"These... releases tell us what lyrical inspiration Draeseke could pour into ambitious forms." Fanfare: March/April 2005 pp 74-77.

Click here to listen/download a mp3 of the Stelzner Quintet scherzo.
Click here to listen/download a mp3 of an excerpt of the Quintet in F.

Read more about this music and Stelzner's unique instruments:
 Felix Draeseke and the new instruments of his time
 Quintet in F, op 77
 Quintet in A, WoO 25 "Stelzner"
 Dr. Alfred Stelzner: Pioneer in Violin Acoustics