The Stamitz Quartet, founded in 1985, is known for its Czech repertoire, having recorded all 14 of Dvořák's quartets and seven by Martinu.
Composition History
Dvořák's String Quartet in D Major, written before 1870, is over 72 minutes long, making it an extreme exception in 19th-century chamber music.
Composer Biography
Dvořák's 'Cypresses' originated as a song cycle inspired by his 16-year-old piano student, Josefina Cermakova, whom he later married her younger sister.
Composition History
Dvořák's String Quartet in E, Op. 80, was composed in just 16 days in 1876, during a period of both hope and sadness for the composer.
Composer Biography
Antonin Dvořák, the composer, was a violist in the Prague opera orchestra during his younger years, a period when he sought his artistic orientation.
Historical Context
The Scherzo movement of Dvořák's String Quartet in D Major quotes the Slavic song 'Hej, Slovane', which was an unofficial hymn of the Slavic emancipation movement in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy.
Composition History
Dvořák composed the Terzetto, Op. 74, for himself and two friends, a professional violinist and a chemistry student, to play as a trio.
