This movement is in the popluar dance form of Minuet-Trio. The violin introduces the bobbing, chromatic theme of the Minuet right from the start... this evokes a spirited response from the rest of the quartet. Throughout the rest of the minuet, Mozart takes that saem chromatic theme through its paces... he transforms it, distributes it, and voices it in just about every feasible way... a device he likes to use is to pass it from one instrument to the other - listen for it!

After rounding off the Minuet, the music travels into a more dancey Trio section, with a bit of an edge. The syncopated rhythms in the cello and the irregular volume spikes all combine to give this section a bit of an unbalanced feel.

Thank goodness we finally get back to the Minuet! As is conventional with these dance forms, Mozart returns to the original Minuet section. With the repeats taken out this time around, plus the fact that we're a bit more used to the material, the path to the finish goes quickly and smoothly from there.

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