Dave's Music Hall of Fame: Album Inductees (February 2024)

The Top Chamber Music Works Originally posted 2/22/2024. January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog. To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This month marks the 21st group of album inductees. These are the top 10 chamber music works of all time (see the full list here). Chamber music is a form of classical music composed for a small group of instruments, traditionally a group which could fit in a palace chamber. See the full list of album inductees here.

Johann Sebastian Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Violin (1717-20) Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

These three sonatas and three partitas were composed by Bach. He “elevated both forms to a deeply emotional and reverent height” JS by setting “up elaborate schemes that utilize the violin’s full range of sounds.” TM They “firmly established the technical capability of the violin as a solo instrument” WK serving “as archetypes for solo violin pieces by later generations of composers.” WK Read more.

Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 13 (1826) Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Late String Quartets period. It was commissioned by Nicolas Galitzin, a wealthy Russian prince who was a cellist and fan of Beethoven’s music. While this was Beethoven’s 13th published quartet, it was actually the 14th composed. Read more.

Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 14 (1826) Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Late String Quartets period. It was Beethoven’s favorite of this period. He died before it was published or performed. It is dedicated to Baron Joseph von Stutterheim as “a gesture of gratitude for taking Beethoven's nephew Karl into the army after a suicide attempt.” WK-14 Read more.

Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 15 (1826) Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Late String Quartets period. It was commissioned by Nicolas Galitzin, a wealthy Russian prince who was a cellist and fan of Beethoven’s music. It was actually the 13th quartet written but was the 15th published. Read more.

Franz Josef Haydn String Quartet No. 3 (Emperor) Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

In facing the threat of Napoleon, Haydn saw a need for a national anthem to rally the Austrian people. The second movement of his third string quartet became a tribute to Emperor Francis II, hence the quartet’s popular “Emperor” nickname. It became the national anthem of Austria-Hungary in 1847 and the same melody was later used for the German national anthem. Read more.

Franz Josef Haydn String Quartet No. 5 in D major (Largo) (1797) Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

“Haydn was an early cultivator of the string quartet. His first works for the combination of instruments (two violins, viola, and cello) were lighter in tone, an intimate version of the serenades and divertimentos called on to accompany the events of life at the princely court where Haydn worked.” LPString Quartet No. 5 “is sometimes called the Largo or Friedhofsquartett (Graveyard-Quartet) “because the second movement...is often played at burials” WK “because this music not only sounds sad, it also gives comfort.” WK Read more.

Felix Mendelssohn Octet for Strings in E flat major, Op. 20 (1825) Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

Mendelssohn was only 16 when he composed his octet for four violins, two violas, and two cellos. He wrote it and gave a signed score to Eduard Rietz, his friend and violin teacher, as a birthday present. WK It “created a new chamber music genre” WK as string quartets were the most widely known works within chamber music. WK Read more.

Claudio Monteverdi Madrigals of Love and War (Madrigali Guerrieri ed Amorosi) (1638) Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

Monteverdi published eight books of madrigals in his lifetime. The last one focused on the themes of love and war. It was “an extensive collection of diverse compositions ranging from solo laments to vast eight-voice compositions with instrumental accompaniment.” CG The work “transformed a venerable genre – the Renaissance part song…few madrigals from any age hold a candle to these masterworks for multiple voices and instruments.” LH Read more.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A major (Stadler) (1789) Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

Mozart’s clarinet quintet (a piece for clarinet with a string quartet) was written for Anton Stadler, a talented clarinetist and friend. It is the only clarinet quintet completed by Mozart. The work is viewed as “one of the earliest and best-known works that was written especially for the instrument” WK and “one of the most admired of the composer’s works.” WK Musicologist Alfred Einstein called the piece “chamber music work of the finest kind.” WK Read more.

Franz Schubert Piano Quintet in A major (Trout), D 667 (1819) Inducted February 2024 as “Top Chamber Music Works.”

“Sylvester Paumgartner, a wealthy mining executive and an accomplished cellist, commissioned Schubert to write a quintet based on ‘The Trout’ (and perhaps patterned after a work by Hummel that he had in his collection). The resulting ‘Trout’ quintet – scored for the unusual combination of piano, violin, viola, violoncello, and double bass – has become one of Schubert’s more enduring chamber works.” AM Read more.

September 1826: Beethoven completes his string quartets, his final work

String Quartets (16) Ludwig van Beethoven (composer)

Composed: 1798-1826 Completed: September 1826 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: classical > chamber

String Quartets: The Early Quartets: String Quartet No. 1 String Quartet No. 2 String Quartet No. 3 String Quartet No. 4 String Quartet No. 5 String Quartet No. 6 The Middle Quartets: String Quartet No. 7 String Quartet No. 8 String Quartet No. 9 String Quartet No. 10 String Quartet No. 11 The Late Quartets: (1825-26) String Quartet No. 12 String Quartet No. 13 String Quartet No. 14 String Quartet No. 15 String Quartet No. 16 Average Duration: The complete cycle lasts over 8 hours and 30 minutes.

Rating: 4.625 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more). * Quartets 13-15 are in the DMDB Hall of Fame. 7-10 and 12-16 are acknowledged as top 25 chamber music works.

The Early Quartets: Beethoven’s first six string quartets, known as Opus 18, were composed between 1798 and 1800 and published in 1801. They were commissioned by Prince Joseph Franz Maximilian Lobkowitz, a Bohemian aristocrat “who was the employer of Beethoven's friend, the violinist Karl Amenda. They are thought to demonstrate his total mastery of the classical string quartet as developed by Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.” WK-E The Middle Quartets: The seventh through eleventh quartets, written in 1806, were commissioned by Count Andreas Razumovsky, the Russian ambassador in Vienna. They are referred to as the “Middle Period,” “Middle Quartets,” or “Opus 59: Razumovsky.” They were published in 1808 in Vienna. WK-M The Late Quartets: The final six quartets, or the Late String Quartets, were “Beethoven’s last major completed compositions. Although dismissed by musicians and audiences of Beethoven’s day, they are now widely considered to be among the greatest musical compositions of all time…and they have inspired many later composers.” WK-L Quartets 12-15 were commissioned by Prince Nikolai Galitzine. He was in failing health while writing them, being bedridden in April 1825 for about a month. His recovery is credited with the “deeply felt slow movement of the Fifteenth Quartet, which Beethoven called ‘Holy song of thanks (‘Heiliger Dankgesang’) to the divinity, from one made well.’” WK-L The Budapest String Quartet Recordings: The Budapest String Quartet recordings from 1940 to 1952 of the complete cycle have “acquired legendary status” AZ having been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry in 2003. The New York Times wrote that they set “the modern standard of performance in the Beethoven quartets.” AZ About Each of the Quartets: Here are details about each individual quartet.

String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18 Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: 1798-1800 Published: 1801 Length: roughly 22-30 minutes About the Work: This was actually the second string quartet composed by Beethoven. String Quartet No. 3 was the first. This is one of six quartets comprising Beethoven’s Early String Quartets period. It consists of four movements: I. Allegro con brio (F major) II. Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato (D minor) III. Scherzo: Allegro molto (F major) – Trio (B♭ major) IV: Allegro (F major) The second movement was inspired by the crypt scene in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. WK-1 The original quartet sent to Amenda was heavily revised. As of July 2014, the original version has probably been recorded less than a half-dozen times. WK-1

String Quartet No. 2 in G major, Op. 18 Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: 1798-1800 Published: 1801 Length: roughly 22-30 minutes About the Work: This was actually the third string quartet composed by Beethoven, after No. 1 and No. 3. This is one of six quartets comprising Beethoven’s Early String Quartets period. It consists of four movements: I. Allegro (G major) II. Adagio cantabile – Allegro – Tempo I (C major) III. Scherzo: Allegro (G major) – Trio (C major) IV. Allegro molto, quasi presto (G major) Of Beethoven’s first six string quartets, this one is the most grounded in 18th century musical tradition. WK-2

String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18 Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: 1798-1800 Published: 1801 Length: roughly 22-30 minutes About the Work: This was actually the first string quartet Beethoven composed. This is one of six quartets comprising Beethoven’s Early String Quartets period. This one consists of four movements: I. Allegro (D major) II. Andante con moto (B♭ major) III. Scherzo Allegro (D major) – Trio (D minor) IV. Presto (D major)

String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18 Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: 1798-1800 Published: 1801 Length: roughly 22-30 minutes About the Work: “The fourth quartet is unique in the set in that there is no evidence that sketches or drafts of this quartet can be found.” WK-4 This is one of six quartets comprising Beethoven’s Early String Quartets period. This quartet has four movements: I. Allegro ma non tanto (C minor) II. Andante scherzo quasi allegretto (C major) III. Menuetto: Allegretto (C minor) – Trio (E♭ major) IV. Allegro – Prestissimo (C minor)

String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18 Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: 1798-1800 Published: 1801 Length: roughly 22-30 minutes About the Work: “Beethoven modeled this quartet directly on Mozart’s quartet in the same key, K. 464.” WK-5 This is one of six quartets comprising Beethoven’s Early String Quartets period. This quartet consists of four movements: I. Allegro (A major) II. Menuetto – Trio (A major) III. Andante cantabile (Theme with variations, D major) IV. Allegro assai (A major)

String Quartet No. 6 in B♭ major, Op. 18 Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: 1798-1800 Published: 1801 Length: roughly 22-30 minutes About the Work: This is one of six quartets comprising Beethoven’s Early String Quartets period. This quartet is in four movements: I. Allego con brio II. Adagio ma non troppo (• E♭ major) III. Scherzo: Allegro - Trio IV. La Malinconia: Adagio – Allegretto quasi Allegro - adagio - Allegretto - Un poco adagio – Prestissimo

String Quartet No. 7 in F major, Op. 59, No. 1 Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: ? Published: 1808 Length: generally 40-50 minutes About the Work: This was the first of Beethoven’s cycle of string quartets that was commissioned by Andrey Razumovsky, the Russian ambassador to Vienna at the time. These quartets differed from the six earlier quartets in that they were longer and required “a greatly expanded technical repertoire.” WK-7 This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Middle String Quartets period. This quartet consisted of four movements: I. Allegro (F major) II. Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando (B♭ major) III. Adagio molto e mesto - attacca (F minor) IV. “Thème Russe”: Allegro (F major)

String Quartet No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2 Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: ? Published: 1808 Length: generally 40-50 minutes About the Work: This is the second of three quartets commissioned by Andrey Razumovsky, the Russian ambassador to Vienna at the time. This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Middle String Quartets period. This quartet is in four movements: I. Allegro, 6/8 E minor II. Molto adagio (Si tratta questo pezzo con molto di sentimento), , E major III. Allegretto (with the second section marked "Maggiore – Thème russe"), 3/4, E minor – E major – E minor IV. Finale. Presto, , C major – E minor

String Quartet No. 9 in C major, Op. 59, No. 3 Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: ? Published: 1808 Length: generally 40-50 minutes About the Work: This is the third of three quartets commissioned by Andrey Razumovsky, the Russian ambassador to Vienna at the time. This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Middle String Quartets period. This quartet consists of four movements: I. Andante con moto – Allegro vivace (C major) II. Andante con moto quasi allegretto (A minor) III. Menuetto (Grazioso) (C major) IV. Allegro molto (C major)

String Quartet No. 10 in E♭ major, Op. 74 (Harp) Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: 1809 Published: ? Length: approximately 30-35 minutes About the Work: This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Middle String Quartets period. “The nickname ‘Harp’ refers to the characteristic pizzicato sections in the allegro of the first movement, where pairs of members of the quartet alternate notes in an arpeggio, reminiscent of the plucking of a harp. Like many nicknames for Beethoven's works, this was created by the publisher.” WK-10 This quartet has four movements: I. Poco adagio – Allegro II. Adagio ma non troppo III. Presto - Più presto quasi Prestissimo IV. Allegretto con variazioni

String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95 (Serioso) Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: 1810 Published: ? Length: approximately 20-25 minutes About the Work: This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Middle String Quartets period. This “is commonly referred to as the ‘Serioso,’ stemming from his title ‘Quartett[o] Serioso’ at the beginning and the tempo designation for the third movement.” WK-11 This quartet is in four movements: I. Allegro con brio, , F minor II. Allegretto ma non troppo, 2/4, D major – attacca subito: III. Allegro assai vivace ma serioso – Più allegro - Trio, 3/4, F minor – D major – F minor – D major – C minor – F minor IV. Larghetto espressivo, 2/4 – Allegretto agitato, 6/8 – Allegro, , F minor – F major

String Quartet No. 12 in E♭ major, Op. 127 Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: 1825 Published: 1827 Length: approximately 36-38 minutes About the Work: This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Late String Quartets period. It was commissioned by Nicolas Galitzin, a wealthy Russian prince who was a cellist and fan of Beethoven’s music. This quartet is in four movements: I. Maestoso (2/4) – Allegro (3/4) in E♭ major II. Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile (12/8) – Andante con moto ( ) – Adagio molto espressivo ( ) – Tempo I (12/8) in A♭ major III. Scherzando vivace (3/4) in E♭ major - Trio in E♭ minor IV. Allegro ( ) in E♭ major

String Quartet No. 13 in B♭ major, Op. 130 Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: 1825 Published: 1827 Length: 42-50 minutes About the Work: This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Late String Quartets period. It was commissioned by Nicolas Galitzin, a wealthy Russian prince who was a cellist and fan of Beethoven’s music. While this was Beethoven’s 13th published quartet, it was actually the 14th composed. This quartet is in six movements: I. Adagio, ma non troppo – Allegro (B♭ major) II. Presto (B♭ minor) III. Andante con moto, ma non troppo. Un Poco scherzoso (D♭ major) IV. Alla danza tedesca. Allegro assai (G major) V. Cavatina. Adagio molto espressivo (E♭ major) VI. Große Fuge (Grande Fugue op.133): Ouverture. Allegro – Meno mosso e moderato – Allegretto – Fuga. [Allegro] – Meno Mosso e moderato – Allegro molto e con brio – Allegro (B♭ major)

String Quartet No. 14 in C♯ minor, Op. 131 Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: 1826 Published: ? Length: approximately 40-45 minutes About the Work: This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Late String Quartets period. It was Beethoven’s favorite of this period. He died before it was published or performed. It is dedicated to Baron Joseph von Stutterheim as “a gesture of gratitude for taking Beethoven's nephew Karl into the army after a suicide attempt.” WK-14 It is comprised of seven movements: I. Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo II. Allegro molto vivace III. Allegro moderato – Adagio IV. Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile – Più mosso – Andante moderato e lusinghiero – Adagio – Allegretto – Adagio, ma non troppo e semplice – Allegretto V. Presto VI. Adagio quasi un poco andante VII. Allegro

String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132 Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: 1825 Published: ? Premeired: November 6, 1825 Length: approximately 45 minutes About the Work: This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Late String Quartets period. It was commissioned by Nicolas Galitzin, a wealthy Russian prince who was a cellist and fan of Beethoven’s music. It was actually the 13th quartet written but was the 15th published. The quartet consists of five movements: I. Assai sostenuto – Allegro (A minor) II. Allegro ma non tanto (A major) III. “Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in der Lydischen Tonart”. Molto adagio – Andante (F major) IV. Alla marcia, assai vivace (attacca) (A major) V. Allegro appassionato (A minor – A major)

String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135 Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed: October 1826 Published: ? Premiered: March 23, 1828 Length: approximately 22-25 minutes About the Work: This is one of five quartets comprising Beethoven’s Late String Quartets period. This one was dedicated to Johann Nepomuk Wolfmayer, a patron and admirer of Beethoven. This was the last major work completed by Beethoven before his death in 1827. WK-16 This quartet consists of four movements: I. Allegretto (F major) II. Vivace (F major) III. Lento assai, cantabile e tranquillo (D♭ major) IV. Der schwer gefaßte Entschluß. Grave, ma non troppo tratto (Muss es sein?, F minor) – Allegro (Es muss sein!, F major)

References: AZ Amazon WK-E Wikipedia (String Quartets 1-6) WK-M Wikipedia (String Quartets 7-9) WK-L Wikipedia (Late String Quartets) WK-1 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 1 WK-2 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 2 WK-3 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 3 WK-4 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 4 WK-5 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 5 WK-6 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 6 WK-7 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 7 WK-8 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 8 WK-9 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 9 WK-10 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 10 WK-11 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 11 WK-12 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 12 WK-13 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 13 WK-14 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 14 WK-15 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 15 WK-16 Wikipedia page for String Quartet No. 16 Related DMDB Links: Last updated 2/22/2026.

50 years ago: Bartók's last string quartet debuts (January 20, 1941)

Last updated 11/20/2020.

String Quartets Béla Bartók

Composed: 1908-1939 Debut of Final Quartet: January 20, 1941 Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US and UK) Genre: classical > chamber music > quartet for four strings

Quartets [Duration] (Year(s) Composed/Debuted): String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Sz. 40, BB 52 (1908) [29:40] (1909, 3/19/1910) String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Sz. 67, BB 75 (Op. 17) [27:00] (1915-17, 3/3/1918) String Quartet No. 3 in C sharp major, Sz. 85, BB 93 [15:10] (1927, 2/19/1929) String Quartet No. 4 in C major, Sz. 91, BB 93 [22:50] (1928, 3/20/1929) String Quartet No. 5 in B flat major, Sz. 102, BB 110 [30:30] (1934, 4/9/1935) String Quartet No. 6 in D major, Sz. 114, BB 119 [29:00] (1939, 1/20/1941)

Rating: 4.419 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings) Awards:

About the Album: Bartók’s six string quartets, written “for the usual forces of two violins, viola and cello” WK have “become part of the mainstream repertoire” AZ and cited as influences for numerous composers, including Benjamin Britten and King Crimson’s Robert Fripp. WK The Juilliard Quartet, formed at the Juilliard School of Music in 1946, have much to do with the quartets’ success, having “presented the complete cycle publicly in New York for the first time” AZ in 1949. Their recording of the quartets the next year was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1987. String Quartet No. 1: Bartók was unrequitedly in love with violinist Stefi Geyer, for whom he developed a musical portrait with his 1908 violin concerto. This quartet was the culmination of him dealing with his rejection. He described the opening movement in a letter to Geyer as his “funeral dirge.” MS1 Indeed, “sadness and despair are the prevailing sentiments in this work” MS1 and the three movements “plainly trace a course from the…anguish of the convoluted first movement to the heady, forceful finale.” MS1 String Quartet No. 2: During World War I, Bartók lived in seclusion outside Budapest and that “isolation may have made its way into” MS2 this quartet. Like “other works from the era, especially the yet-to-come violin sonatas, Bartók’s…melodies…have clear and easily comprehended shapes [which] intertwine…in ways that produce great…harmonic tensions; yet…also yield gem-like moments of diatonic triads, all the more beautiful for their rarity.” MS2 String Quartet No. 3: Bartók’s single-movement third quartet “is the most concentrated in thematic material and structure,” MS3 lasting just over fifteen minutes. With his native Hungary losing “two-thirds of its land and population under” MS3 the terms of the Treaty of Trianon, Bartók’s primary source of folk music was cut off, leading him to “a more cosmopolitan style, such as he had encountered during his tours of post-war Europe.” MS3 He “subjected folk-style themes and motifs to a technique he called ‘expansion in range,’ wherein melodic shape and intervallic relations were stretched to produce themes that develop freely without compromising musical unity.” MS3 “The mood is desolate, though the folk-like themes are clear and immediately comprehensible.” MS3 String Quartet No. 4: “A dark, nocturnal mood…prevails through the entire work.” MS4 The fourth quartet “represents both an intensification and relaxation of elements present in Bartók’s previous quartet…While the radically dissonant harmonic language and rigorous motivic development found in the third string quartet are intensified…the third’s tightly interwoven single-movement structure is…‘opened out’ into a more easily comprehended, five-movement span arranged in Bartók’s characteristic ‘arch’ form. The composer did point out, however, that the five movements functioned collectively according to the template of sonata form.” MS4 String Quartet No. 5: Bartók wrote comparatively less music in the six years between his fourth and fifth quartets, but the work he did “pointed to his mature style of the 1930s and 1940s, in which directness of compositional technique is coupled with a new concern for clear communication.” MS5 They paved the way for his fifth quartet “easily Bartók’s most virtuosic essay in the form.” MS5 Here he again uses “the five-movement arch form, this time employing a more distinctive variation technique in which the first and fifth movements, and the second and fourth, closely mirror each other.” MS5 String Quartet No. 6: “Bartók’s last completed quartet exemplifies the composer’s continuing search for new forms, even as he sought to distill and clarify his mode of expression. The form he devised for the String Quartet No. 6 is ingenious: each movement is preceded by an introductory section marked ‘Mesto’ (‘sadly’), with increasing complexity at each appearance. The ‘mesto’ theme functions both as a motto and as the source of much of the quartet’s thematic substance. In the fourth movement, rather than giving way to a lively finale (the original plan as indicated by Bartók’s sketches), the motto continues on to become the conclusion itself.” MS6

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Béla Bartók AZ Edith Eisler, Amazon MS1 Mark Satola, All Music Guide (String Quartet No. 1) MS2 Mark Satola, All Music Guide (String Quartet No. 2) MS3 Mark Satola, All Music Guide (String Quartet No. 3) MS4 Mark Satola, All Music Guide (String Quartet No. 4) MS5 Mark Satola, All Music Guide (String Quartet No. 5) MS6 Mark Satola, All Music Guide (String Quartet No. 6) WK Wikipedia