Beethoven, completely deaf by 1825, fulfilled a promise from his 1802 'Heiligenstadt Testament' to dedicate himself entirely to his art, leading to his final five quartets.
Composition History
Beethoven arranged his Piano Sonata Op. 14, No. 1 for string quartet himself, transposing it from E major to F major to utilize the cello's lower register.
Composition History
The Opus 59 quartets, known as the 'Razumovsky' quartets, were dedicated to Count Andrey Razumovsky, Russia's ambassador in Vienna.
Composition History
The title of Beethoven's Opus 135 quartet, 'Der schwergefasste Entschluss' (A decision reached with difficulty), comes from the last movement's inscription: 'Muss es sein? Es muss sein!' (Must it be? It must be!).
Composition History
Beethoven's Opus 18 string quartets were dedicated to Prince Franz Joseph Maximilian von Lobkowitz, who played a key role in the composer's life.
Critical Reception
The Op. 59 quartets were considered so technically difficult and unconventional that some commentators described them as 'music of a deranged mind'.
Composition History
Beethoven's Opus 127 quartet was the first of three commissioned by Prince Nikolai Galitzin in November 1822.
