Beethoven's late quartets (Opp. 127, 131, 132, 135, and this one) were the only thing he wrote during the last three years of his life. These works grew in the midst of the physical and mental suffering that made these three years one long agony. Ill, deaf, poor, and alone, he found in the late quartets an outlet for his anguish and distress, sometimes weeping as he wrote.

We owe the existence of the late quartets to the wealthy Prince Nikolas Galizin, cellist of the St. Petersburg Quartet, who commissioned "one, two, or three new quartets" from Beethoven in 1822. Or perhaps it was a man by the name of Zeuner, the violist in Galitzin's quartet, who persuaded the Prince to commission the quartets rather than ordering a score of Weber's opera Der Freischütz, as Galitzin had been planning to do. In any event, Beethoven agreed to write the quartets, and began to do so 1824.

In all honesty, we could have included any one of Beethoven's late quartets on our 15 Greatest pieces list. This opus 130 quartet in B flat major can be said to be the happiest of the bunch. Somehow amidst all of his suffering, Beethoven, in a burst of youthful inspiration, managed to create this radiant gem. It is also perhaps the most popular, with several famous movements and a broad emotional range. Please feel free now to listen to the recordings and peruse the analyses below.

RealAudio Performance:

Hear Movements 1, 4, 5, & 6

Analysis:

The analysis of this piece has been split up by movement:

• 1) Adagio ma non troppo. Allegro
• 2) Presto
• 3) Andante con moto ma non troppo
• 4) Alla danza tedesca. Allegro assai
• 5) Cavatina. Adagio molto espressivo
• 6) Finale. Allegro

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• Ludwig van Beethoven Info
• Other Works by Beethoven

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