What is a string quartet?
A musical composition for sting instruments with the most common setup of two violins, viola and cello. It is often regarded as the most sophisticated form of chamber music.
How many string quartets did Beethoven write?
Ludwig van Beethoven wrote 16 string quartets. These quartets are grouped into three categories, based on the stage of his artistic periods.
His early quartets are all under one opus number, all together six compositions:
Opus 18, No. 1: String Quartet No. 1 in F major (1799)
Opus 18, No. 2: String Quartet No. 2 in G major (1799)
Opus 18, No. 3: String Quartet No. 3 in D major (1798/99)
Opus 18, No. 4: String Quartet No. 4 in C minor (1799)
Opus 18, No. 5: String Quartet No. 5 in A major (1799)
Opus 18, No. 6: String Quartet No. 6 in B-flat major (1800)
His five middle period quartets are:
Opus 59, No. 1: String Quartet No. 7 in F major (“Rasumovsky”) (1806)
Opus 59, No. 2: String Quartet No. 8 in E minor (“Rasumovsky”) (1806)
Opus 59, No. 3: String Quartet No. 9 in C major (“Rasumovsky”) (1806)
Opus 74: String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major (“Harp”) (1809)
Opus 95: String Quartet No. 11 in F minor (“Serioso”) (1810)
There are five pieces in his late quartets, plus the Grosse Fuge, that originally was the final movement of Op. 130, but later separated and received its own opus number:
Opus 127: String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major (1823/24)
Opus 130: String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major (1825)
Opus 131: String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor (1826)
Opus 132: String Quartet No. 15 in A minor (1825)
Opus 135: String Quartet No. 16 in F major (1826)
Opus 133: Große Fuge in B-flat major – originally finale of Opus 130 (1826)
In these 16 string quartets the whole spectrum of feelings are present, some of them the most intimate of the Beethoven canon.
