But what if you’re searching for classical string quartets? There’s a huge range of these type of works to choose from, so it’s hard to know where to start. Here then is our guide to the most suitable works from this genre for easy and intermediate players.
A word of warning before beginning—many of these quartets do make technical demands on the players, especially on the first violin, so they are not for beginners. Also bear in being that most demanding movements tend to be the first and last, so for less advanced players may wish to look to slow movements and minuets as a starting point.
Haydn String Quartets, Op. 1 and Op. 2
Haydn is one of the most important figures in the early development of the string quartet. Clear in structure and relatively undemanding for players, his earliest works in the form also represent a great starting point. His opus 1 and 2 collections each contain six string quartets, all of which are worth exploring. Many players start literally at the first, Op.1 No. 1 in Bb. Among his later quartets, his G minor quartet Op.20 No.3 is a work of great drama, storm and stress, whilst remaining accessible. In a friendlier key is Op. 64, No 5 in D Major (also known as ‘The Lark’ or Hornpipe’).
Mozart ‘Haydn’ Quartets
Mozart owed some of his own expertise in the form to the example of his friend Haydn, a fact he acknowledged when dedicating this set of string quartets to him. The six ‘Haydn’ quartets were published as his Op.10 in Vienna in 1785. Of these the String Quartet No.14 in G major (‘Spring’) is probably the most accessible and is full of glorious melodies.
Also, from the same same set, the celebrated ‘Dissonance’ quartet, K.465, is, despite its forbidding name (a reference to the atmospheric introduction), a work of great charm:
Beethoven Op.18 Quartets
Beethoven took the string quartet form bequeathed to him by Mozart and Haydn and turned it into a vehicle for his profoundest utterances, his late works being some of the most challenging works in the string quartet repertoire. His Op. 18 set of set of six quartets, his first contributions to the form, however, look back to classical forms. Not without their technical demands they are, however, written very gratefully for the players. The third, in D major, which was actually composed first is the most characteristically classical in style , though the second also recalls the style of Haydn , the fifth that of Mozart. Number one and six, by contrast are more innovative, the first flowering of Beethoven’s radical development of the form.
Schubert String Quartet No.14 in D Minor D. 810 ‘Death and the Maiden’
Schubert’s penultimate string quartet, No.14 in D Minor, also known as ’Death and the Maiden’ was written during a serious illness that made him confront his mortality. The title is a reference to a Schubert song ‘Death and the Maiden’, written in 1817, which the composer uses to from a theme and five variations in the second movement. The first movement is particularly approachable for intermediate players, especially for a work considered a cornerstone of string quartet repertoire.
Dvořák String Quartet No.10 ‘Slavonic’ and String Quartet 12 ‘American’
Dvorak’s wrote a total of 14 string quartets. His String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 51 ‘Slavonic’ (1879) is a work that blends classical and native Czech folk elements in a work chock full of lyrical melodies. The String Quartet No. 12 in F major ‘American’ was written during a stay in the United States in 1893. It blends American musical elements alongside those from his Bohemian roots. Both quartets are approachable in their technical demands, contain clear structural outlines and have an engaging expressive character.
