Ludwig van Beethoven's late string quartets are: Opus 127: String Quartet No. 12 in E major (1825) Opus 130: String Quartet No. 13 in B major (1825) Opus 131: String Quartet No. 14 in C minor (1826) Opus 132: String Quartet No. 15 in A minor (1825) Opus 133: Große Fuge in B major (1825; originally the finale to Op. 130; it also exists in a piano four-hands transcription, Op. 134) Opus 135: String Quartet No. 16 in F major (1826)

These six works are Beethoven's last major completed compositions. Extremely complex and largely misunderstood by musicians and audiences of Beethoven's day, the late quartets are now widely considered to be among the greatest musical compositions of all time, and have inspired many later composers.

Overview

Prince Nikolai Galitzin commissioned the first three quartets (12, 13, and 15), and in a letter dated 9 November 1822, offered to pay Beethoven "what you think proper" for them. Beethoven replied on 25 January 1823 with his price of 50 ducats for each opus.Life of Beethoven by Alexander Wheelock Thayer, p. 447 He composed the quartets in the sequence 12, 15, 13, 14, 16, writing 13 and 15 simultaneously.Cf. Beethoven House Bonn, Skizzenblatt zu den Streichquartetten op. 130 und op. 132.

Beethoven wrote these last quartets in failing health. In April 1825, he was bedridden and remained ill for about a month. His recovery from the illness inspired the modal slow movement of the Fifteenth Quartet, which Beethoven called "Holy song of thanks () to the divinity, from one made well". He went on to complete the quartets now numbered Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Sixteenth. The last work Beethoven completed was the substitute final movement of the thirteenth quartet, which replaced the extremely difficult Große Fuge.Cf. Beethoven House Bonn, Fugue for 2 violins, viola and violoncello (B-flat major) op. 133.

The "ABC" quartets

Opp. 132, 130 and 131 are sometimes called the "ABC" quartets because of their keys: A minor, B major, and C minor. They are thematically linked by the four notes of the harmonic minor scale's second tetrachord. In his notes for the Quartetto Italiano's recording of all six quartets, A. David Hogarth writes:See Die Späten Streichquartette Und Grosse Fuge, Op. 133 , Philips label 6707 008 .

Beethoven's "obsession at that time with the upper four notes of the harmonic minor scale" (Hogarth) predates these works. For an early example, see the first movement of his string trio, opus 9, no. 3.

Appraisal

Beethoven's late quartets went far beyond the comprehension of musicians and audiences of his time. One musician said, "we know there is something there, but we do not know what it is." Composer Louis Spohr called them "indecipherable, uncorrected horrors".

Opinion has changed considerably from the time of their first bewildered reception: these six quartets (including the Große Fuge) are widely considered to be among the greatest musical compositions of all time.Morris, Edmund. Beethoven: The Universal Composer. New York: Atlas Books / HarperCollins, 2005. The Frankfurt School philosopher Theodor W. Adorno, in particular, thought highly of them,Beethoven: The Philosophy of Music by Theodor W. Adorno, pp. 123-162 and Igor Stravinsky called the Große Fuge "an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever".Miller, Lucy, Adams to Zemlinsky (2006) Concert Artists Guild, , p. 44. Their forms and ideas inspired and continue to inspire musicians and composers, such as Felix Mendelssohn, Richard Wagner and Béla Bartók. Wagner said that Op. 131's first movement "reveals the most melancholy sentiment expressed in music".Berger, Melvin (2001). Guide to Chamber Music, p. 67, Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. Schubert's last musical wish was to hear Op. 131, which he did on 14 November 1828, five days before his death. Afterward, he remarked, "After this, what is left for us to write?" Beethoven considered Op. 131 his single most perfect work.

Other versions Arturo Toscanini and Felix Weingartner, among others, transcribed some of the late quartets for string orchestra.

Recordings Ensembles that have recorded the complete late Beethoven quartets include:

Alban Berg Quartett, EMI (studio early 80s) Alban Berg Quartet, EMI (rec. live 1989) Alexander String Quartet, Arte Nova Alexander String Quartet, Foghorn Classics Amadeus Quartet, DG Artemis Quartet, Virgin Classics Barylli Quartet Beethoven Quartet, Melodiya (rec. 1951–1972) Belcea Quartet Borodin Quartet, Chandos Brentano String Quartet, Aeon (rec. 2012) Budapest String Quartet, Bridge (rec. 1941–1960) Budapest String Quartet, Sony (rec. 1958–1961) Busch Quartet, various labels (rec. 1933–1941; no Große Fuge) Calidore Quartet, Signum (rec. 2022-2023) Cleveland Quartet, RCA Red seal (1970s) Cleveland Quartet, Telarc (1990s) Colorado Quartet, Parnassus (rec. 2004–2006) Dover Quartet, Cedille Ehnes Quartet, Onyx Classics (2020–2022) Emerson String Quartet, DG Endellion Quartet, Warner Classics (2005–2006) Fine Arts Quartet, Everest/Concert-Disc (rec. 1960–1965) Gewandhaus-Quartett, New Classical Adventure (rec. live 1985–1998) Guarneri Quartet, RCA Red Seal, Philips Hagen Quartett, DG Hollywood String Quartet, Testament Hungarian Quartet, (1953 mono) EMI Hungarian Quartet, (1960s stereo) EMI Juilliard String Quartet, CBS studio late 1960s Juilliard String Quartet, CBS (rec. live 1982) Kodály Quartet, Naxos LaSalle Quartet, DG (reissued on Brilliant Classics) Leipziger Streichquartett, MDG Lindsays, ASV Lydian String Quartet, Centaur Medici String Quartet, Nimbus Melos Quartett, DG Orford String Quartet, Delos Orion String Quartet, Koch Classics (2008) Penderecki String Quartet, Marquis (2013) Petersen Quartett, Capriccio Pražák Quartet, Praga Quatuor Mosaïques, Naïve Quartetto Italiano, Decca Smetana Quartet, Supraphon Suske Quartett, Berlin Classics Takács Quartet, Decca (2005) Talich Quartet, Calliope Taneyev Quartet, Boheme Tokyo String Quartet, RCA Red Seal (1993) Tokyo String Quartet, Harmonia Mundi (2010) Vanbrugh Quartet, Intim Musik (1996) Vermeer Quartet, Teldec, (rec. 1984–1989) Végh Quartet, (1952 Les Discophiles Français) Music & Arts Végh Quartet, (1972 Telefunken) Naïve-Astrée Wihan Quartet, Nimbus Yale Quartet, Vanguard

See also

List of compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartets Nos. 1–6, Op. 18 String Quartets Nos. 7–9, Op. 59 – Rasumovsky A Late Quartet

References

Further reading